Sapphirus Tempestasis
by heroherondaletotherescue
Summary: Sophia knew she had been dealt a bad set of cards, but as always, she would remain strong. The young superhero would put on a brave face at the sign of danger, and she would be ready to sacrifice whatever necessary to stop Zoom. She just hoped that she was strong enough as she headed into the eye of the storm. / Sequel to Fight or Flight / Barry/OC - Disclaimer inside. / COMPLETE
1. The Return of Sapphire Part 1

CHAPTER ONE

After the singularity had collapsed, all that was left was the destruction that had rained down on Central City. Cafés, offices, homes even, were destroyed, after being torn apart by the vicious energy that accompanied the wormhole. The worst part of it all wasn't the objects they had lost, or the buildings that had been decimated. It was the people they had lost.

Eddie Thawne.

Ronnie Raymond.

 _Sophia Lang_.

These three heroes had died, sacrificing their lives to stop the singularity from spreading further and not only taking apart Central City, but the whole world. They had their funerals a week later, burying empty caskets into the ground, all of them next to each other, as a reminder of their sacrifice. The fact that they didn't have bodies to lay to rest seemed to add to the pain of it all. Barry hadn't been able to get a wink of sleep since it had happened, but his body had eventually collapsed under all the pressure and stress it had endured, leaving Cisco and Joe worried for his wellbeing. Caitlin and Iris were too busy mourning for their other halves to even have enough energy to worry about Barry at this point in time. They were all living their own personal nightmares, and they weren't sure how they were going to live through this hell on earth any longer.

It was raining that day, and Caitlin mused how it was poetic. The rain mingled with their tears that dripped down their cheeks, like a flood breaking free. They placed flowers on their graves, unable to say anything in fear that they would end up breaking down in front of them. Barry had bought Sophia's favourite tulips, struggling to purchase them in the first place. It had taken him a good hour to muster up the courage to look at something that reminded him of her. But he had done it in the end because he knew that no matter how hard it was for him, he needed to do this… for _her_.

It had been three long months, and they still mourned their team, their friends, and their lovers.

Caitlin had shut herself out from the world, leaving Star Labs for good, and moving to Mercury Labs to work. She had cut off all contact with Team Flash, not speaking to anyone whilst she mourned her husband, now a widow after only being married for a few hours at the most. She didn't regret marrying him, not for one second, but she regretted letting him go that day without telling him she loved him one last time. She knew that no matter how many times she had told him, it would never be enough. But he was gone, and it was the second time she had lost him, and now she felt like she had lost herself. All she wanted to do was have a moment's peace, and she knew that in order to get there she needed to leave her old life behind.

Iris wasn't much better either. She couldn't sleep at night, plagued with vivid nightmares about that day. Eddie with the gun, standing there in the particle accelerator, as he pointed the weapon at his heart, pulling the trigger. She moved back into her childhood home, staying with her Dad and Barry, finding that it was easier to mend her broken heart with support from her family… even though she didn't see a lot of Barry these days. So, Iris threw herself into her work, trying to become the best journalist she could be. She took up kick-boxing classes, finding that it was a great way to relieve her stress and distract her from the mess that her life had now become, but, then she would come home. She would walk through her bedroom door with a tired face and see a photograph of herself and Eddie on her bedside table, the look of happiness and love splashed across their faces. That was what would break her, causing her to collapse, breaking down into tears, weeping for the man that she loved. She kept telling herself that he was a hero, repeating the mantra desperately, like a prayer at night. She knew it was true, he had saved them all that day without a second's hesitation. It was a priceless act of love, and his sacrifice was never to be forgotten, and she vowed that he would always have a place in her heart. She would always love Eddie Thawne.

And Barry.

Barry Allen was empty.

His father was still in prison, he couldn't save his mother, and the love of his life was dead. He had promised her, over and over that he would protect her. That she wouldn't die, at least not at such a young age, but he had been unable to keep his promise and for that he punished himself every day. He punished himself for the lies he had spouted, for all the hurt and pain he had caused. She had flown up into the singularity with all the courage in the world, sending out a blast of energy, matching the levels expelled by Ronnie's own explosion, the two working in tandem to help seal the wormhole for good.

The thing he regretted the most was that he broke his promise.

He promised that he would keep her safe, no matter what…. And he couldn't even do that right. For a while he had just ignored everyone, mourned silently at home, crying whenever he wasn't sitting in the same position silently. He had lost her forever, and they had just begun. He saw her wherever he went, and to this day he had still been paying the monthly rent for her apartment, not wanting to step foot in there and pack it all up, not wanting to make it real. He had only gone back to her apartment once… the day she died.

He had rushed in there, bringing the gusting wind through the door, hoping to see her sitting on her couch, in her PJs and sipping on some hot chocolate, like she always did. Or even see her rushing and trying to get ready for a long shift at the hospital, with one shoe on and her desperately searching for the other, unsure of where she had kicked it off the previous night. But there was nothing… only emptiness… and her cat. Chewie sat there, purring away and Barry broke down at the sight of her pet. He sat on the carpet of her bedroom floor, weeping into her pillow that smelt like lavender and _Sophia_. He took Chewie home, setting up a little place for her to sleep, taking care of her cat, knowing that she would have wanted it.

 _But it was so hard._

Regardless of all that, it still didn't even come close to measuring up to how hard it was to tell her father. It was the day she had passed and he knew that he couldn't tell him over the phone. He ran over to Kansas, pushing his already exhausted body as he rushed to her childhood home, standing on the front porch of the familiar house, unsure of how to tell him. Barry had knocked on the door lightly, still dressed in his suit, knowing that Sophia had revealed their powers to her father not long ago.

When Arthur Lang answered the door that day, he hadn't expected to see The Flash standing at his doorstep. He had been even more shocked when he saw the look of torment and damage splayed across Barry's face. Barry had a purple bruise adorning his jaw, and his lip had been split, as well as the skin just underneath his left eyebrow, and there was dry blood matted across both his skin and suit. His entire being was bruised and aching, but it was nothing compared to the emptiness he felt inside his chest. He had just lost his mother, two of his friends, and to top it all off, his girlfriend, and it was because he had chosen to go back in time and save his mother.

Barry stood there for a moment, speechless. The longer he stared at Arthur, the worse he felt. He didn't know how to tell him that his daughter was dead. That she had sacrificed herself to save the world. Whether it was the silence, or the guilt on Barry's face, something seemed to click in the back of Arthurs mind. Barry opened his mouth once, hoping the words would come out but they didn't, and when he tried to again, Arthur let out a heavy sigh, praying with all his might that it wasn't so.

"She's gone isn't she?" Arthur asked, his voice soft, not wavering for a moment. Barry admired her father's strength and did his best, nodding in confirmation.

"S-She saved us," Barry choked out and as soon as the words tumbled off his lips, he let everything out. Arthur gathered him up into his arms as they both cried for their loss. His love, and Arthur's baby girl. Arthur then ushered Barry into the house and he spent the next few hours there with him, mourning in silence and over some hot drinks.

"She called me just yesterday, speaking about the most trivial of things," Arthur laughed lightly, the redness of his eyes and the tear stained cheeks contradicting the sound that bubbled up his throat. "The way she spoke, I understand now that she was saying goodbye."

"I'm sorry," Barry croaked out, wiping his eyes. He could feel his hands shaking as he picked up the warm cup of tea that Arthur had prepared, but he needed to distract his hands with something, and he remembered that Sophia always said that a warm cup of tea would always soothe her worries, because of the warmth that emanated from it, and just the mere thought that she had told him this once made him want to do it, just to feel closer to her. "I-I promised her that I would protect her, a-and I wasn't able to keep it."

"It's not your fault," Arthur said shaking his head. "From what you've told me, she sacrificed her life to save you all, for the greater good. She did it for the people she loved, and she loved you Barry."

And with that, the conversation ended. Arthur had convinced Barry that Sophia wouldn't want him to torture himself over it. They had then spoke lightly of funeral plans, and Barry bid Arthur goodbye, returning to Central City, back to the West household to mourn with the rest of his family.

He was in the depths of despair and nothing, nothing could bring him back.

Eobard Thawne, the Reverse-Flash had taken someone else from him again, and he couldn't let anyone else be put in that same situation again. So he shut everyone out. At first, it was extremely hard as the days went by, ignoring text messages from Cisco, and calls from Professor Stein, but what kept him going was the memory of all the pain he caused Caitlin, Iris and even himself when those three souls died. He continued working at the CCPD, and no one ever went to Star Labs but him. He fought crime, by himself, coming home a lot of the time with injuries that he had to learn how to fix, and patch up. When he wasn't doing either of those things he was figuring out a way to help re-build the city, running around at night and fixing up small bookstores, and offices. He found that he spent a lot of time at Jitters, repairing he trashed coffee joint.

And the rest of the city. Well, they had to just keep going, taking it step by step, day by day to rebuild and reunite. But the one thing that kept them all united was The Flash. Which was ironic considering the one thing that had separated Barry from all his friends and family was that very thing itself.

It was now 3 months post-singularity, and they were all still drowning in their own misery, searching desperately for a way out.

But the thing was… Sophia Lang still lived. Her body was pulled by a magnetic force of the singularity into a breach, transporting her to another dimension, a parallel universe. It was no longer just the question of _where_ but more precisely _when._

* * *

Sophia woke up in a fright, gasping for air, her right hand clutching the front of her shirt as she desperately tried to breathe. Her eyelids frantically blinked as she tried to clear her vision and as she tried to move more she found that there was an excruciating pain in her left arm and she yelped in pain as she tried to return back into the position she was in before. She could feel the cannula in her right arm and the weight of the tubes that were connected. She also noted the uncomfortable feeling of the nasal prongs that were carefully tucked around her nose, the thin plastic tubing secured around her ears, not to mention the catheter that sat between her legs, instantly alerting her that she had been in this bed for far too long.

"Hey, hey, relax. You're safe now." A girl with fiery red hair and a green complexion sang, flying across the room to grab an inhaler, and bring it over to her. She thrust the inhaler in Sophia's general direction, seeing as though she was freaking out, and she grabbed it, putting it to her mouth and pressing it down, releasing the drug into her system as she inhaled it, her chest calming down gradually.

"Thanks," She managed to squeak out in between her hyperventilating session. It was a few moments later that her brown eyes adjusted to the scenery, and she had clearer vision. What she saw next was not what she was expecting to see.

She was in space.

Outside the window was the dark and frightening expanse of space, silver stars sparkling in the distance, the Earth rotating in front of her very eyes.

And thus ensued the screaming, the shock of it all causing her to pass out yet again, her vision spiralling into a void of darkness as the girl with red hair called out her name, her head lolling to the side on the white pillow she had been laying on.

* * *

Sophia woke up again a few hours later, feeling groggier than earlier. This time she took things slower. She took a few deep breaths, looking around to see where she was. She was dressed in a hospital gown, and laying in what looked like some sort of med bay. But what she was still freaking out about was the fact that she seemed to be on some sort of space station, or aircraft that was in _space_. She looked down to her arm to see that the cannula was still in her arm, but the IV they had been running was now empty and the line had been hung up on the side. Before she could move further what seemed to be a robotic nurse had entered the room, swiftly checking that she was alright, removing her nasal prongs and informing her that she would be able to breathe fine without them, as well as quickly removing the catheter that was starting to get uncomfortable as she sat up. It had been at least fifteen minutes since the robotic nurse had left the room, but she had stayed in her spot on the bed, far too scared to even move. She wasn't sure where she was and she hoped that it was all a dream. Once she dared to open her eyes again, they flittered over to the window and this time she decided, no one was going to stop her from getting out of this bed.

"Am I dreaming?" She breathed out as she slipped out of the bed, taking one step forward at a time til she reached the window that showed the vast blanket of darkness of the universe, the small twinkling lights in the distance what she assumed to be distant stars. Her bare feet were cold against the tiled floor and a shiver ran down her spine, but she soon realised it wasn't because of the cold, but because she was being watched.

"No, you are certainly not dreaming _sweetheart_ ," A voice called out frightening her, and she turned around abruptly, her hand over her chest not expecting anyone. She certainly hoped that the dressing gown she had been wearing had ample covering on the back, preferring not to flash anyone. She noted that the term of endearment that her boyfriend used to wield on a common basis was now being phrased more sarcastically when directed at her, but she didn't pay that too much attention, wanting to know who rather than why.

"Who are you?" She asked in a hoarse tone, finding that her throat was sore. The tall man stepped out of the shadows, and she gasped at the familiar face.

"Well, that's what we were going to ask you."

"Oliver?" She asked, unsure if it was him. He looked older, and his hair was slightly a darker blond, but she was sure it was the same Oliver Queen. There was a red scar that marred the side of his cheekbone on the left side of his face, but other than that he was an exact replica of Oliver Queen. It had to be him.

"I don't recall ever meeting you before," Oliver lied, his arms crossed as he came closer toward her. He needed to keep up the lie, in order to get the truth out of her. He figured this was the best way. They had run tests on her blood and knew it was indeed Sophia Lang, a younger version yes. But until they had taken off the mask, they had no idea who this superhero was. In this world, Sophia Lang wasn't a meta-human, and as of three years ago, she was dead. So this woman standing in front of him was an enigma to them all.

"Oliver Queen. I'm Sophia. Sophia Lang, don't you remember me?" She asked, with confused eyes as she took a better look at her surroundings. Everything looked futuristic, and different… she wasn't sure she was even in the right time period anymore.

"What did you do with my uniform?" She asked, wondering what the hell was going on. If she had taken down the singularity, why was she now suddenly in space and in some sort of weird hospital?

"We had it cleaned and mended, it was quite damaged, and so were you," Oliver began, and she nodded hesitantly as he took a seat in the corner of the room.

"Why do I get the feeling this isn't my home," Sophia said softly, and he looked at her with a sad smile.

"Because sweetheart, it isn't. This is the year 2028, and you're dead." Oliver said with a deadpan face, and there was some static over what sounded like a comm. System. Sophia's eyes went wide at his comment, and her knees buckled to the ground, her head flopping down as her body decided to try and collapse yet again at the shock. A second later, there was a rush of wind in the room, and a familiar presence helping her up from the ground, cradling her body in his warm arms. She looked up with weary eyes and she saw Barry's face. Her heart soared in relief, and she hoped that everything would be fine, but her brain kept repeating the words that had left Oliver's lips. _This is the year 2028 and you're dead. And you're dead… and you're dead._

" _Barry?"_ She breathed out, clinging onto him with trembling hands before her eyes rolled back into her head once more.

" _Oliver_ ," Barry seemed to groan. "I told you not to come in here til I said so."

"We need to know where and when she is from. You were taking too long," Oliver countered.

"It's not my fault there was something wrong with the teleporters, took me nearly half an hour to get the system back up and running," Barry grumbled as he lifted Sophia up and back onto the bed with ease. Her eyes were rolling around, back and forth and she wasn't in a state of consciousness. Her body must have gone into shock with the information overload, unable to comprehend the situation, and so to protect itself, it sent her back into a slumber.

"You can go now, I'm here," Barry told Oliver, not bothering to spare him a glance, his eyes planted on Sophia's face, as he watched her sleep, taking solace in the steady rise and fall of her chest. Once he had heard that she had woken up this morning, he had dropped everything and rushed over, only to find that the teleporters had started to malfunction, and so he had spent a good half hour to fix it.

"Don't let your feelings cloud your judgement. She's definitely from the past, and there's no way she's staying in the future, so don't get your hopes up kiddo," Oliver said, trudging out of the room as he swiped his thumb over the lock pad.

It wasn't long til Sophia was alert again and Barry was sitting next to her in a chair, running his hands through his hair as he thought of what to ask her. He knew that she was from the past, seeing as though this was a younger version of her, but the fact that she was also a meta-human, someone like him made him realise that not only was she from the past, but most likely from another parallel universe. The league had dealt with this sort of thing before, but it was always complicated. He just hoped that they would be able to sort it out in the end.

"Hey." Was all he could think off when he caught her staring at him. _Hey? Real smooth Allen._

"Am I dreaming?" She asked meekly.

"No," he laughed, and gave her a heart-warming smile.

"What happened?" She asked, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly as she sat up in the bed she was laying on.

"You passed out _again_ , most likely because of the shock."

"Right," She gulped, her eyes darting around the unfamiliar room. "Must be the fact that I'm 13 years into the future of a parallel universe, or the fact that I'm in space, or the fact that apparently I'm dead," she cringed as she spoke, but she needed to try and get everything in the open and understand what the hell was going on. _Why do I always die in the future?_ She groaned internally.

"Yeah, sorry about Oliver, he can be quite insensitive sometimes."

"That's one way of putting it." Sophia sighed. There was a throbbing pain in her temples and she knew that it was most likely due to her stress.

"Where are we right now?" Sophia's gaze moved from Barry to the window, where she could now see earth as the station rotated slowly. It was certainly a sight to behold. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought she would be in space. Yes, there was that one time she had just escaped the earth's atmosphere, but all she could see was the black expanse of the universe and the stars shining brightly. Here, she could see the mass that was the _earth_ right before her very eyes, and not through a computer screen. It was…breathtaking. She wondered if she waited for the rotation of the facility they were on if she could see other planets, like Mars or Jupiter.

"The Watchtower, it's a space station, our home base."

"Whose home base?" Sophia asked, turning back to look at him quizzically. The name sounded familiar. She had remembered Clark calling his base in Metropolis the Watchtower. She wondered if he was a part of this whole shindig as well. When she voiced this to Barry he just nodded in reply, confirming her theory. Superman was indeed a part of the original team that created this base.

"The Justice League. It's a long story, one I can't go into detail with much considering it may cause problems with you being from the past and all that jazz," Barry explained and she nodded, keeping quiet. She wasn't sure of what to think of everything at this point. All she knew was that she wasn't home, and she wanted to do anything she could to get back.

"Do you want to explain what happened, and then I'll try and shed some light from my point of view?" Barry asked, placing his arm on her shoulder as he saw her deflated mood. She nodded slowly and he offered her some water before she began retelling her tale.

"There was a singularity above Central City. It was violently pulling in everything and anything in its way, and it would have become larger if we didn't stop it in time. I remember flying into it, and expelling enough energy into it so that it would collapse on itself, a-and I'm assuming by doing so I was brought here, to another universe I guess… I mean the portal itself was being used to travel through time yes, but there was the possibility of it hitting other time streams, so parallel universes were included in that I'm assuming you've got blond hair, and it's sort of freaking me out." Barry laughed at her comment, and self-consciously ran a hand through his blond hair.

"It doesn't look bad does it?" She took this as an opportunity to have another look at him, and her heartbeat didn't fail to rise as she checked him out. He looked just as good as a blond as he did being a brunette. She actually wanted nothing more to just run into his warm and comforting embrace, and just pretend like he was _her_ Barry, but she knew better than that.

"N-no, it looks good," Sophia said with a small smile, and he registered that it was the first time he had seen her smile since she got here and he felt sick to his stomach knowing that she wasn't his Sophia, and that in this world, she was gone.

"What colour hair do I have in your world?" Barry asked, a smile twitching at his lips.

"Brown… it's more of a lighter brown though, with flecks of darker shades and-," she realised she was going off tangent talking about his hair, and blushed when she noticed his intense stare. She wondered if it was because the Sophia Lang of this world was dead, or if it was because he noticed that she was such a goner for the Barry of her world.

" _Brown_ , that's interesting," He mused, nodding his head at the possibility of being a brunette.

"My arm, it's healed," Sophia suddenly said, realising that the Reverse-Flash had broken it that day. She brought her arm in front of her, examining it as she moved it around not feeling an ounce of pain.

"Whilst you were under, we took the opportunity to do surgery on your left arm, you should find that it's completely healed, but it will take a few days to feel like normal again since you haven't exactly been moving."

"Wait, so if I came here through the portal when I tried to close it, how am I supposed to get back?" Sophia asked, as though something inside had suddenly clicked, her thoughts trickling back to the bigger picture.

"Hey, don't worry about that. I've got a friend with some special powers who can help out. All you need to do is rest, and I'll get it sorted. You'll be back in no time," Barry said, and she relaxed slightly under his touch, hoping that back home everyone was alright, and that she hadn't been gone for too long.

"How long have I been out?" She asked, trailing a hand through her hair. It felt much longer than it was previously, now sitting mid-way between her back.

"Three months."

" _Three months_?!" She yelled in surprise and Barry cringed, not expecting her to yell that loud. " _Oh my god_. They probably think I'm dead."

"Probably, but it's alright, you'll be back in a few days," Barry reassured her. He had Zatara working on it.

"No, it's not alright! They think I'm dead. That I'm gone. Oh my god." She felt faint again, and her breathing was erratic as her thoughts ran wild with anxiety. Her knees gave way and she would have crashed down onto the floor if it wasn't for Barry's quick reflexes. He caught her in his strong arms, helping her back onto the bed.

" _Hey_ , hey, just take a few deep breaths," Barry said, his hand on her shoulder, and the other rubbing her back as he tried to calm her down. She inhaled through her nose, and exhaled through her mouth, taking deep breaths as she tried to calm the anxiety in her chest. He noted that this Sophia from another earth was just like his own. _Some things never change._ There was a heavy feeling in his chest as he realised that he would be saying goodbye to her in a few days. He would be losing the love of his life all over again, even if this version of her wasn't his wife.

"You'll be back in no time," Barry tried to reassure her and she shook her head, her brown eyes tearing up.

"That means for three months they've thought I was dead, I-I can't imagine what they must be going through right now."

"Trust me, I can." Barry said calmly, and she looked up at him, cringing when she realised what she had said. The Sophia of this world was dead, and here she was talking to him like he had no idea of what it would feel like to lose someone you cared about, someone you loved.

"I'm sorry," She said in a small voice, feeling bad, especially once she had gotten a look at the solemn expression on his face. No matter what world, or what universe, seeing Barry upset was never something she wanted to witness.

"No need to apologise. Just rest. I'll be back soon with something for you to eat, you must be hungry," Barry said, brushing it off. He had lost his wife three years ago, and he had learned how to act strong, even if he was plagued with inner turmoil as each day went on.

"Thanks, that would be great," Sophia said, offering a soft smile, sniffing as she did so.

Everything was seemingly hitting her at once and she didn't know what to do. She was in another universe, in space, and in the future. Not to mention the fact that she had been there for three months, meaning that back on her earth, everyone thought she was dead.

What would she do when she got back? Walk into their arms, explain how it had all been a misunderstanding, an accident. If they had buried her, what would she tell the public? It wasn't going to be easy, and just the thought of it all made Sophia sick to her stomach, so she tried to distract herself as she waited for Barry to come back with something for her to eat.

Instantly, like metal drawn to a magnet, her hand shot up to her chest, feeling for the familiar necklace that sat around her neck. As soon as her nimble fingers came into contact with the sapphire stone that Barry had given to her on Christmas she sighed in relief, that there was still a part of him there with her. But this seemed to trigger something inside of her, and instead of providing her with comfort and a sense of security or familiarity, she just ended up crying.

Ugly large droplets of tears trickled down her face as she sobbed. Her breaths were shaky as she cried, wrapping her arms around her midsection to try and comfort herself. She missed him, and after everything that had happened she just wanted him there, to comfort her. She wanted him to whisper in her ear like he always did, telling her that everything would be alright. She wanted him to kiss her forehead, and caress her cheek. She wanted him to hold her as she buried her head into the crook of his neck, never letting go. Her tears continued to flow even as she squeezed her eyes shut. They managed to escape and had now taken residence upon her cheeks. She let out a shaky breath as she tried to calm herself down, and in that moment blond Barry had walked back into the room.

He placed the tray down on the table by her bed, and sat down next to her, bringing her into his arms. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his torso, her head laying on his chest as she continued to weep. He felt a pang of sadness hit his heart as he saw her, and he rubbed soothing circles on her back, brushing her hair out of her face as he tried to comfort her, whispering soothing words to her softly. It wasn't long til she had calmed down, breaking free of the hug that they had shared.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologise for being yourself," He said, and his words made her eyes shoot up from her hands to his face. His eyes widened slightly in worry and he hoped he hadn't overstepped some sort of boundary with her. "What?"

"It's just, you're exactly like _him_ ," Sophia breathed out, trying to remind herself that they were two different people even if they were different versions of the same person. "He said the same thing to me once, when he was comforting me."

"I'm sorry."

"No, its' fine," Sophia said, shaking her head. "I'm sure that you've found I am similar to _your_ Sophia."

"Yeah, mannerism are quite similar, and your face, everything about you is the same," Barry said, giving her a soft smile.

"This must be terribly hard for you, seeing me here if what Oliver said was true." She felt terrible for putting him through such pain. If the roles were reversed, she knew that seeing Barry again would rip her heart into a million pieces over and over again considering the situation.

"It is, but I'd never let you go through this alone."

* * *

 **Welcome back to the sequel to** _ **Fight or Flight**_ **! *dance party* Note to all newcomers, if you haven't read** _ **Fight or Flight**_ **please go back and do so, otherwise this story won't make much sense at all. I mean you can try, but I doubt it would be any good. You can find** _ **Fight or Flight**_ **under my profile, or under The Flash section.**

 **A year ago, I wouldn't have even thought I would be writing, let alone a SEQUEL to an already successful story, and it's all thanks to you guys. "Four for you glen coco, you go glen coco."**

 **I'm actually so scared. I only have a few pre-prepared chapters, and I have a double workload this semester, so I will do my best to get this story out, but please if there are times where I disappear, don't kill me. I'm doing my best, and S2 explored so much that I'm trying my best to get as much detail down, but please remember this is Sophia's story, and so not all aspects/characters of S2 will be included or explored.**

 **Plan is for a new chapter every 2 weeks. But seeing as though this is the first week, I might update the second part to this chapter in 1 week instead because, you've been waiting long enough and I want you to have it soon.**

 _ **Please don't forget to follow, favourite and leave a review.**_ **You all know by now that I live off these reviews, and with my busy schedule, it's going to be the only thing to motivate me to write.**

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters taken from the hit TV series The Flash, they belong to the CW and Warner Bro's & respective owners. I only own my own original characters, plot devices and creative genius. This disclaimer applies to all chapters.**_

 **Til next week!**

 **Heroherondale. X**


	2. The Return of Sapphire Part 2

CHAPTER TWO

After Barry had ensured that Sophia had eaten a little bit of food, he left in search of some clothes for her to wear in favour of the current thin hospital gown she was sporting. Included in the clothes that he soon delivered were a pair of underwear, and she blushed at the sight of the bra, especially when she saw it was her exact size, but then she reminded herself that on this earth Barry had been married to her for quite some time, and it wasn't a big deal. She scratched the back of her neck awkwardly at the memory of his confession that he had been married to her doppelganger on this Earth. She swore she had never been redder in her entire life and she wasn't sure exactly why considering that she had known it would be a possibility in her future. She just attributed it to the fact that Barry Allen no matter what Earth would always get her flustered in one way or another.

Now dressed comfortably in a pair of warm black jeans, her feet covered with a pair of dark blue converse, and a thick white jumper wrapped around her, she felt more at ease than before. Barry had offered to take her on a tour of the space station they were on, known as the Watchtower. For most of the tour, she just watched with wide eyes, taking it all in as Barry explained and guided her throughout the massive complex.

It was a shock to her that this was even possible, and she was giddy at the notion of it happening in her future soon enough. She whispered to Barry that she felt as though she was in an episode of Star Trek, aboard one of their grand space stations, and he laughed so loud that she blushed a deep red at the outburst. He told her that it was funny because when he had first come aboard the Watchtower after it had been built, it was also one of his very own thoughts about the layout of the space station and he reassured her that she had nothing to be embarrassed about. She felt relaxed in Barry's presence, and just like the one on her Earth, just like _her_ Barry, he made her feel calm, like she had no worries in the world. She hated to think what would have happened to her if she had accidentally been thrown in another timeline or parallel universe. From what Barry had said with his experience with these things, was that it wasn't always sunshine and daisies, in fact, quite often, it was the vast opposite.

Barry had then drawn her out of those dark thoughts as he explained that there was a team member on the League that would be able to help her travel back to her Earth considering that the portal she had entered through had closed shut as soon as she was dropped into this parallel universe. He told her that in the future they would form a group called the Justice League. It would be compromised of the earth's greatest heroes, meta-humans, aliens and humans alike. He only mentioned a few brief names and she noted that quite a few sounded familiar and that put her at ease, knowing that once they met up later, it wouldn't be too shocking considering she knew these faces. As she walked down the hallways with Barry she noticed the red-head from before fly by, the young girl doing a quick turn as she waved at Sophia, wishing her well. Sophia just smiled politely and mumbled a thanks, too shocked at the girls green skin to say anything more. She felt terrible, but she had never seen anything like it in person, and the girl didn't seem too offended, waving a cheerful greeting at Barry as well before moving on.

Her arm was still sore, but Barry assured her that the broken bones that she had arrived with had healed. He told her that it only felt that way because she had been stiff and not moved them for months, and that it would be a few days til she felt back to normal, a sentiment that reassured her greatly. She was eager to discover more about this Earth, but she was focused on returning back home after all this time.

"Ready to meet the team?" Barry asked, watching her expression. She paused for a moment, her eyes hardening slightly before she gave him a firm nod. _I can do this._ Even though she was nervous as hell, she was buzzing with excitement to meet these people. Barry had spoken so highly of them that she couldn't help but be enamoured with it all.

"I'm ready to go home," She told him.

He pressed a button, opening the first barrier of metal leading to another set of doors. Taking a step forward into the new and small hallway, he inserted a four digit code into the side panel of a door, a beep of recognition and a bright green light blinking, accepting the password. A round metal device then sprouted from the wall, scanning Barry's eye, and once satisfied, announced that they were clear to enter the room.

The two large metal doors that had been closed, slid open to reveal a large room with a wooden table in the middle, seats all around, most of them already filled with what seemed to be the members of the League. She recognised a few, picking them out in the crowd in an instant, making her feel more relaxed.

She spotted Clark sitting at the head of the table, next to him a girl with blonde hair and a similar symbol on her chest, making Sophia realise that they must be related in some way. Her eyes then met Oliver's, noting that he was now dressed in his Green Arrow garb rather than the previous casual clothes he had been wearing when he interrogated her that morning. Next to him, she saw the Black Canary, and though she hadn't worked with her personally, she knew of Laurel Lance, and the hero that she was. And it was then that the familiarity had ended.

There was a man that was green, with red eyes and a stunning stature. Sophia noted that he looked similar to the red headed girl from earlier, especially since their uniform also matched up.

Then there was a man in a charcoal coloured suit, with a mask that seemed to resemble something similar to that of a bat. His jaw was set, and his expression hard, making her feel slightly more anxious than she had been before. She quickly averted her eyes to the next person to see him already smiling at her.

He was wearing a dark green suit, with lighter highlights of different shades of green that seemed to be glowing, a giant ring looking symbol on his chest… at least that's what she could see from where she was standing.

And finally, a man in dressed in an all-black ensemble, consisting of a three piece suit, and a top hat. He looked like a magician, and Sophia wondered if he was the man named Zatara that Barry had briefly mentioned to her in their tour.

"Please, take a seat," Superman said as the team all watched Sophia walk over hesitantly, taking a seat next to Barry, trying not to feel overwhelmed under their heavy gazes.

"Sophia Lang, it's a pleasure to see you again," The Martian Man-hunter spoke.

"I-I uh, thank you. I'm sorry, I've never met you before, or I haven't yet," Sophia spoke meekly. "I only recognise a few faces in this crowd. Please accept my apologies in advance," She said and Kara smiled from the head of the table.

Kara Danvers had always thought that Sophia Lang was beyond adorable, a true kindred spirit. It was devastating when she had passed, and they were all destroyed upon news of her death. Though Sophia hadn't been a meta-human on this world, she had been Barry's wife, and she was well known to all members of the League. She worked with them, mostly in the med-bay, taking care of them, like the mother hen of the group. To see her suddenly struck down by one of their most formidable enemies was traumatic, and they were all distraught. Though Kara knew that Sophia wouldn't be with them for long, she was more than glad to see her face once more.

"There is no need to apologise, Sophia," Kara spoke, and Sophia gave the blonde a smile, thankful for her reassuring words.

"Why don't we get down to business," A gruff voice spoke, coming from the man that resembled a bat. She would later find out that his name was Batman, and he admitted that she laughed a little bit at the name, but not in front of him.

"Barry and Oliver have explained the situation to us as best as they could, do you mind clarifying some of the details?" Superman spoke up.

"Yeah, uh, it began with a singularity that opened up above Central City after a battle between myself, The Flash and the Reverse-Flash. Barry was close to containing it, but we needed to expel enough energy in the middle of the wormhole to collapse it, and allow it to close in on itself. I-I uh, flew up there with Firestorm, an ally of ours, and we did just that," Sophia explained, surprised that she had been so articulate with her words, not breaking down as the memory played in her head. Seeing the look of terror and fear on Barry's face as she flew up into the singularity, giving him the smile before she exploded into energy. She blinked, noticing that she had gone silent for a moment, lost in the memory. "I-I should have died that day, but the singularity transported me here instead, I'm not sure why…or even how."

"You were always so brave," Barry muttered underneath his breath, and if it wasn't for their seats being right next to each other, she would have missed it. Her cheeks flushed a light pink at the compliment and she looked on, watching the expressions of the others carefully.

They seemed to look at her with admiration and she felt embarrassed, even though she should have felt flattered.

"It seems as though the singularity was the catalyst for sending you here, but now that it is closed, there is no way back," The Martian spoke eloquently.

"That's where Zatara comes in," Barry spoke up, his head inclined towards the man in the top hat.

"I have located a spell that will allow me to open a portal to her world, _but_ it comes with a price. If you wish to return to your world, then you must make a sacrifice," Zatara said, his tone soft and full of sympathy.

"W-What do you mean a sacrifice?" Sophia spoke up before anyone else could. Barry was wearing a look of uncertainty as they waited for Zatara to continue.

"Once you travel through the portal and to your earth, you will no longer have your powers," Zatara said, and Sophia could feel her heart drop in her chest at the weight of his words. She opened her mouth to speak, to protest, to ask if there was any other way, but judging by the look on Zatara's face, she knew in a second flat that this was the only way. She closed her mouth, biting down uncomfortably on her tongue to keep her mouth sealed, should she let out a sob.

"That can't be the only option," Supergirl voiced, her eyes darting between Zatara and Sophia who were further down the table.

"Unfortunately so, it is," Zatara said as he spared a glance at Supergirl. "You must make the decision Sophia. If you want to go back home, then this is the price you must pay. It is not a decision to take lightly, so please, take your time. I will be awaiting your decision," Zatara spoke, his unique accent pleasant as it travelled to Sophia's ears. His words were reassuring even though they held so much pain. She didn't know what to think. She was desperate to return home, but doing so would mean that she would lose a part of herself.

She wouldn't be Sapphire anymore.

* * *

Sophia was huddled up in the now empty room they had their previous meeting in. She was sitting on the edge of the table, her gaze frozen on the view of the universe before her very eyes. Her fingers played with the necklace sitting on her chest and it only made her heart ache for home even more. She didn't want to stay here forever, she wanted to go back to her old life, to her family, to Barry. But that would come with a price. Zatara's words played over and over in her head like a broken record, making it hard for her to clear her thoughts and think about this properly.

She wasn't sure if she would be able to revert back to her old lifestyle, and be just…ordinary. She had gotten so used to the power, to helping people, to the rush of fighting by Barry's side out on the front lines that she was sure if she returned without her powers, she wouldn't _feel_ the same. She feared that she wouldn't _be_ the same either. Whether she liked it or not, having powers changed her for the better. It made her stronger, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. She had taken on so much as this new version of herself and she wondered if it would change her drastically without them.

But then she stopped thinking for a moment. She stopped thinking about herself, and what it would be like without her powers. She thought of her father who was waiting back home, thinking that he had lost a daughter. She was thinking about Anna, Cisco, Caitlin and Iris, how they had lost a friend. And most importantly, she was thinking about how Barry, how he had lost the love of his life. And then she realised that if she didn't do this, if she didn't make the sacrifice, she would never see them again, she would be losing all of them as well, and walking through life by their side was worth so much more to her than having her powers.

And suddenly, the decision didn't seem so hard. She got up from her seat and walked out of the room. She hovered her hand on the pad next to the door like Barry had shown her, the doors opening with a light click. She followed the lights down the hallway and took a right, walking into their main base of operations, computers and technology around a big circular table. Most of the team was there, discussing what seemed to be their next mission plan when she entered.

"I've decided," Sophia spoke, her voice stronger than she thought it would have been. She had been here for three months already, and she needed to get back home.

Barry watched her from across the table with hooded eyes. He knew in his heart that she would always find her way back to him, and so without her even saying it, he knew that she would be returning home. His heart swelled in his chest as he admired her. No matter what Earth Sophia Lang lived on, he knew that she always had a pure heart.

"And what might that be young one?" The Martian asked.

"I'm going home," She said simply. "I don't care what it takes, I'm going."

"Very well. I will have the spell prepared in two days' time." Zatara nodded.

* * *

The next forty-eight hours had passed in the blink of an eye. She had spent quite a bit of this time interacting with other members of the league, as well as Barry. She felt as though she owed it to him after all he had done for her. In two days she had memorised each member's name, and she concluded that they were all wonderful people, albeit a bit gruff and rough around the edges, but they were a family and it made her heart ache to return to her own. She had also learned that the young girl who had helped her before was indeed related to the Martian from earlier, her codename being Miss Martian, introducing herself as M'gann. She was quite a trusting young soul and Sophia knew that if she had stayed longer, they would have been fast friends. But alas, time had ticked by and Sophia found herself standing in the middle of the watchtower, with a few members of the League that were hanging around, now dressed back in her super-suit.

She admitted that she shed a tear when she was reunited with her super-suit. It was a part of her, and part of home, and it reminded her of her friends. She smiled at the thought of seeing her team mates again. She missed Barry's eyes, Cisco's laughter, Caitlin's smile, her father's warm hugs, Joe's teasing and Iris's carefree personality. But it was upon remembering them that her mind flashed to Eddie, the detective who had wormed his way into her heart. He was a great friend, and she was so happy for Iris, knowing that Eddie had a pure heart, and would take care of her. She felt a pang of sadness as she realised that she would not be seeing Eddie again, that he had died to protect them all. He was the real hero. Her thoughts then drifted to Ronnie and Professor Stein. They had gone up into the singularity with her, and she wasn't sure if either of them made it out alive, all she could do was hope that they were both safe, whether they were at home, or in a situation similar to that of her own.

Sophia walked around the room, bidding everyone goodbye, and thanking them for their help, before finally stopping in front of Barry. She gave him the biggest smile she could, feeling her heart break for him as he had to watch her leave once more. She stood on the tip of her toes placing a firm kiss on his cheek, and wrapping her arms around him in a warm hug.

"She would have been proud of you," Sophia whispered in his ear, and when she moved back she could tell that the words meant a lot to him, noting that his eyes started to tear up the slightest. "Take care of yourself, and don't forget to make sure that you're happy. She would have wanted that for you, I know that I do."

"Travel safe," Barry told her, brushing a piece of hair out of her face. She didn't even realise how much his words had impacted him, and he promised himself that he would try to move on, even after all this time. "And you don't forget to tell your Barry how damn lucky he is to have you."

"I think it's the other way around," Sophia replied with a small laugh. Her eyes met his once more, and for what would be the last time. He gave her an encouraging nod and she took a step back, moving towards the others. She gave a general murmur of thanks to the team once again, receiving polite smiles in response.

"Are you ready?" Supergirl asked, and Sophia nodded, throwing her one last smile. She took a step forward, moving into the circle of salt that Zatara had created only a few minutes ago as he prepared the spell.

"Don't forget, to keep your mind clear, and only think of one thing. Home, your destination, your earth, your family, your friends," Zatara spoke, and she nodded closing her eyes and doing exactly that.

He started chanting the spell a moment later, and she could feel the wind appear out of nowhere inside the Watchtower, swirling around her. A bright purple cloud of mist surrounded her, opening up above her head to form a small wormhole, growing in size as Zatara's chants grew louder and louder til he was finally done.

"Remember, think of home," Zatara reminded her and she looked up at the whirl pool of purple hues glowing above her head.

 _Think of home, think of your parents, think of your friends, think of Barry._

Her eyes glowed blue and with a final glance at those standing around her with proud and supportive smiles she focused her eyes on the portal opened above her and flew straight into it, making sure to surround her thoughts of home as she was teleported back to her Earth, trying not to think about how that would be the last time that she ever flew.

* * *

The once familiar, bright, clean and organised room was a disaster. The cortex was dusty, debris ridden and dark. That was the first thing Sophia noticed when she crashed onto the ground in the middle of the room, groaning as she tried to gather her bearings.

She stood up, her eyes running around the room that looked like it had been abandoned. She carefully took a few steps, running her fingers across the table that was covered in a thick layer of black dust. She hoped that she was in the right place. It was a right mess, and she wasn't sure if she had entered some sort of phantom zone, or if people had just gotten lazy with the upkeep around the place. She had a heavy feeling in her gut the longer she noticed the state the room had been in. It signified that her team was no longer that in itself and it worried her.

She scrunched her nose up as she wiped her hands on her suit. She retracted her cape and took of her mask, placing it in her pocket, leaving her in just the one-piece leather suit. She took another step forward, figuring that she would head to the West Household first, the place she was most likely to find someone since no one was here. It was that moment when her leg touched a red laser on the floor.

It must have set some sort of security precaution that they had recently installed, because the next thing she knew, a horrendous alarm was blaring from the speakers, loud enough to make her cringe and cover her ears with both hands. It had been a good few minutes and no one had come, nothing had happened and this alarm was giving her a headache. She moved to the computer, wiping the dust of the screen as she tapped on it, logging into her account, or at least attempting to. Her account didn't seem to exist anymore. She figured that they must have deleted it, thinking that she was dead. Just the thought made her stomach queasy, but she pushed it aside, entering Barry's details instead, knowing his log in password. She quickly override the alarm and the blasted noise came to a stop.

"Thank god," Sophia said, rubbing the side of her head. "Who the hell decided to install that?"

"Me." A voice spoke.

She froze in place, at the sound of the familiar voice, turning around slowly with wide eyes at the anticipation. She was greeted with Barry's face in front of her. He was dressed in a pair of simple jeans and a warm grey sweater. Just the sight of him took her breath away. She could feel her heart pounding away in her chest, a shiver running down her spine as they made eye contact.

" _Barry_ ," Sophia exhaled, happiness written across her face as she grinned. He seemed to be shocked to see her standing there in front of him, his mouth agape, and his eyes wide as he took her in.

When he ran into the room, expecting to find an intruder, he was greeted with the back of a person dressed in dark blue leather. He didn't know why it didn't click first, that it looked like _her_. But he was having a crappy day, he had barely slept the night before, and knowing that she was lost to him, his mind hadn't even thought that it would be a possibility. But as she turned around, it was like someone had set a bomb off in the room. The atmosphere was suddenly charged with electricity, and Barry didn't know what to do.

"Sophia?" He questioned the sight before his eyes, unsure if he was hallucinating. She nodded slowly, her smile growing wider as her feet moved of their own accord, closing the distance between them. Her heart was pounding in her chest, loud enough that she could hear it echoing in her ears as she ran towards him.

"It's me."

" _You're alive_ ," Barry breathed out, unable to believe it. He brought his hand up to her face, his fingers gingerly tracing her cheek. His eyes trailed over every detail, from her unruly curls, to her brown eyes, the freckles scattered on her cheeks, and finally, her soft pink lips. It was her, she was standing there right in front of him. _Alive. She's alive._

"I'm alive," She laughed, small tears escaping her eyes as he dove forward, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close to his chest, laughter and sobs escaping him simultaneously. She let out a giggle and he twirled her around in a circle, bringing her back down and leaning his forehead against hers. His eyes now sparkling with joy searched hers, like he was trying to reassure himself that she was there, standing in front of him.

"You're alive, how-"

"It's a long story, and I promise I'll explain, but first, kiss me," Sophia pleaded and he didn't waste a second in connecting their lips in a passionate kiss. It had been over three months without her and he swore that he was never going to let her go ever again.

* * *

"We need to go tell Cisco and Caitlin," Sophia mumbled in between kisses. "A-and Joe and Iris," she continued, her words muffled by Barry's lips. "And my father," Sophia said and Barry paused, leaning his forehead against hers his breath mingling with her own. He took in a deep breath, trying to catch it after having his lips attached to her for so long without coming up for air. The familiar scent of lavender filled his senses, and it was like a drug that he had been living without for the last three months, and suddenly he was on a high. He was surprised that his reaction had been so well. He figured that later his emotions would probably catch up with him and he would have a proper break down once he fully comprehended that his previously dead girlfriend that had sacrificed her life for the greater good of the world was now standing in front of him, in his arms when logic screamed that it wasn't possible, that it wasn't real.

"We will, I promise, but you've been gone for three months, and I just want to kiss you one more time before we go," Barry murmured against her lips, his hands firmly planted against her back as he pulled her closer to his body one more time. "Just to make sure this isn't a dream."

"That's what you said twenty minutes ago," Sophia laughed, cut off again a moment later by his lips.

* * *

"Cisco, what are you doing here?" Caitlin asked as she walked down the hall in Star Labs. She hadn't been back to the facility since _that_ day, and she wouldn't have come this day either. But Barry had sent out an SOS and she knew that deep down, she would always be there for them when they needed help the most. So after convincing herself that she would only be there for a little while before she could escape, she had driven down to the complex, surprised to see not only Cisco, but Joe and Iris there as well.

"Barry sent out an SOS," Cisco stated simply, shrugging his shoulders. He looked over at Joe and Iris who had just arrived as well, receiving the same response when he posed the question.

"Anyone know what it might be?" Joe asked, and Iris shook her head in response.

"No idea," Cisco said, running a hand through his hair, noting that it had grown quite a bit over the last few months. He was contemplating going for a haircut soon, but he felt like the look suited him.

"Whatever it is, I just want it to be over quickly. I've got a meeting in an hour that I can't miss," Caitlin grumbled under her breath, earning a disapproving look from Cisco.

"I'm sure that your meeting can wait, Cait. It might be something serious," Cisco told her. Barry hadn't asked a lot from them over the last few months, in fact, he had been isolating himself from everyone pretty well. It was a surprise to hear from him in the first place.

"Sorry, I've just been-"

"Stressed, I know," Cisco said, giving her a half smile.

Cisco walked in front of the others, strolling into the cortex, finding that he missed the place. He hadn't been there in quite a while. Not that he had stopped aiding Barry in helping out the city, he continued to do that but either from his house, or his little workspace at the CCPD.

So he continued to stroll casually into the cortex, not expecting anything out of the ordinary, and that's when it hit him like a train. He felt all the colour drain from his face as he saw who was standing there by Barry's side.

"Someone call the Ghostbusters." Cisco wasn't sure why it was those words that came out of his mouth before he momentarily fainted, but he was slightly proud of them when he woke up and Sophia told him. He just knew that he would never live it down.

Ever.

* * *

Sophia was standing there nervously, now dressed in a spare pair of clothes that she had left at Star Labs for emergencies. The clothes hadn't been touched in months, but they sat protected from the dust and dirt in a drawer in her own little workspace. She knew that one day it would come in handy, and today was that day.

It was a simple pair of grey trainers, a black long sleeve button up plaid shirt, with a white tee underneath that was tucked into a comfortable pair of dark washed jeans. Just being out of her suit made her feel more comfortable, and it would get her mind off the fact that she no longer had her powers. When she had a chance to break away from Barry's arms, and his lips, she had gone to change out of her suit. Finally finding a moment alone, she had tried to summon energy from her fingertips and nothing worked. She had tried to jump up into flight, even a basic float, but nothing was there. She could tell in an instant, there was no energy, no electric charge running through her. She wasn't a meta-human anymore. She held in a gasp as she quickly changed, compartmentalising her feelings, saving them for later. She didn't want to tell anyone about it just yet. She had just come back, and she didn't want to throw that on them as well, and the added fact that she wanted some privacy to mourn her loss before voicing it to them all. She knew that Barry had messaged pretty much everyone, telling them to come to Star Labs. He didn't want to drop the news on them via a text message or a phone call, so he had decided to call them over, figuring the sight of Sophia there would just do the trick. Sophia had then told Barry that once this was done, they would both go and see her father. She couldn't imagine how her dad must have been feeling, his only daughter dead, leaving him as the sole member of the Lang family. At least their immediate family anyway.

Her thoughts were cut off when she heard footsteps approaching. She tightened her grip in Barry's hand as she watched the door, waiting for them to walk in.

Cisco strolled into the room, whistling as he did so, and a moment later upon seeing her, uttered the last thing she would have expected, even if it was Cisco they were talking about before them promptly fainting on the spot, his body sliding down to the ground ungracefully.

She let out a small gasp before running over with Barry to roll him over on his side and make sure he was alright. A moment later he woke up, blinking furiously as he cleared his vision. His face was slightly pale and Sophia called out his name, trying to gather his attention. Whilst she was busy tending to Cisco, the other three people had walked into the room.

"Sophia," Caitlin breathed out, a ghost of a smile on her lips as Joe and Iris just watched on with wide eyes. Once they had settled Cisco on a chair, giving him a bit of water to drink and checking that he was alright, the chaos decided to present itself in the room.

"How are you alive?" Cisco asked, looking at Sophia, poking the side of her shoulder with his finger as though he was trying to see if she were real. "You know what I don't care, I'm just so glad that you're not dead," Cisco let out a strangled laugh before bouncing out of his chair and capturing her in a tight hug, letting out a few tears as he did so. He had missed her so much and he was so damn grateful to have her back. The others seemed to then snap out of their dazes and then joined in the group hug and it was a mess of laughter and tears as they clung onto each other, all of them whispering silent apologies and murmurs of thanks.

"We thought you died," Iris whispered and Sophia gave her a quick hug reassuring her that she was here before breaking apart, looking at all of their expectant faces.

"An explanation would be great right about now."

"I think you all might want to take a seat for this," Sophia said, her eyes darting to Barry. He nodded and they all moved, everyone taking a seat as she stood in the middle of the room, ready to speak.

"Well, I think we all know what happened that day," Sophia started off with an awkward smile. She felt guilty for her actions, but she knew that it was the only option at the time to stop the wormhole before it tore the city apart piece by piece before moving onto the rest of the planet. "I had never expelled that much energy before, I honestly don't remember much after it at all, just this feeling of lightness." Sophia's expression turned solemn as she watched their careful gazes, urging her to continue.

"How did you survive? The wormhole collapsed in on itself after the explosion," Caitlin asked quickly, knowing that the others wanted to know the answer as well.

"The wormhole created by the singularity transported me to another Earth, a parallel universe of this Earth," Sophia explained. "I know it sounds insane, but it allowed Barry to travel to the past, and this same wormhole acted as a portal, dragging me to an Earth that was slightly different to this one. I can't say much about it, and I promised him that I wouldn't," Sophia said, mumbling the last bit to herself.

"Who?" Barry asked.

"You." Sophia's brows furrowed. "I mean, the other you, the older you." She shook her head.

"Older?" Joe inquired with a light laugh.

"Yeah, it was over a decade into the future on that parallel universe," Sophia said.

"Did you meet our doppelgangers there?" Cisco asked, bouncing in his seat at the excitement. He was so damn happy that his best friend was in fact alive, and now hearing that she had met other versions of themselves was just the icing on top.

"Only Barry. I was in a coma for the three months I was there. I actually only regained consciousness a few days ago, and that's when one of the members of their team used his powers to help me get back here."

"How did you know it was going to work?" Iris asked, and her question hit home more than Sophia would have liked, as it reminded her of the price she had to pay to be here. But watching the pure relief and joy on their faces, she buried it deep down, knowing it wasn't the right time yet.

"I-I didn't. But I knew I had to try," Sophia said, her voice slightly wobbly. "Plus, there was a lot of motivation to get back," Sophia said and she didn't even have to look at Barry to know that a light blush was dusted across his cheeks.

"I know what happened to you was once in a million, but by any chance did R-Ronnie happen to…" Caitlin's question was left to interpretation and Sophia's face dropped as she looked down, her head moving from side to side with a heavy heart, not wanting to see Caitlin's look of hope drop into one of desperation and depression. It was clear to Sophia then that Ronnie too hadn't survived the explosion.

"I'm sorry."

"D-Don't be, it's fine," Caitlin breathed out. "I just- I needed to know, so that I can move on," Caitlin told her, giving her a reassuring smile.

"There's not much else I can tell you, other than I'm so damn grateful to be back," Sophia breathed out a few tears escaping her eyes. She bit down on her lip, but a sob escaped regardless of her efforts to remain composed and in a flash Barry had his arms around her in a hug, before the others all jumped up out of their respective spots as well, wrapping her into a large group hug as they all welcomed her back. She buried her head into Barry's warm chest and took deep breaths, reminding herself that she was alright. That she was finally home.

* * *

 **And there you have it folks, part 2.**

 **IMPORTANT QUESTION: Do you prefer shorter chapters or longer ones? (Short would be 5-7k, long would be 10-14k).**

 **Can't believe the reaction to the first chapter. Nearly 80 follows already, you guys are making me blush. Thank you to all those who added this to your favourite/follow and to all the reviewers.**

 **Glad you're all loving the fact that I threw her into what I deem E-3 instead of E-2. It's much more exciting and unique this way. I would have kept her there longer, but Sophia has a life to live, and we can't keep her away from her family. It's already been 3 months, and there's so much of S2 we need to jump into!**

 **The drama ensures in the next chapter, which should be posted in 2 weeks! To tide you over, go check out the AU series NEW ROMANTICS which has short one-shots that will get you squirming with all the fluff.**

 **Keep the reviews up! Love you all!**

 **Replies:**

 **Gilyflower: Thanks for being the first reviewer of the sequel! I was so excited to see your review, thank you for your kind words.**

 **Noblecrescent: Yeah, I wanted to do something different, and as you can tell from this chapter, she didn't stay there long because we had to get the story moving, but it was a nice pit stop and change of pace.**

 **Mr. Uroboros: Thank you! Glad you liked the change of pace.**

 **Purplemonkey36: I feel so bad for him as well, but tbh I love writing the angst.**

 **MrsxBarryxAllen: Thank you! I hope you guys enjoy what I bring. I'm finding it mighty hard to write a sequel up to the standards of the first.**

 **Panda-Chan 8: Thank you so much! Yeah, it's insane, but I'll be trying my best to get stuff out to you guys. Your supportive words mean so much and it's definitely made me relax a bit more. Thanks! Hope your day is well. X**

 **Turtlekier42: Happy to see you here at the sequel! Thanks for the review.**

 **AmyRoxx123: I missed you too! So glad to hear from you again! I took inspiration from the JLU / Young Justice cartoon series for the portrayal of the characters in E-3 where Sophia was stuck. That's where the blond idea came from. I threw Miss Martian in there, but I think in this series it'd probably be too early to have Bart appear, he's sort of the generation after the next, and I didn't want to make them too old, besides we don't focus too much on E-3 considering she's left, and we might later on a bit more, but for now, it's bye bye. Thank you so much for the review.**

 **xXAlyaIsMyBaeXx: Yeah, I was going to take longer, but I have to admit there was a guest that posted and asked when it was coming out and since I had the first few chapters out I was aching to post it as well, but we'll be taking it slow this time round with a new chapter every 2 weeks rather than weekly. But thanks so much for the review, glad you enjoyed the first chapter.**

 **Guest: Thanks for leaving the words of kindness and encouragement!**

 **RHatch89: Thanks, happy to see you at the sequel!**

 **AndySteve1311: Thank you for the long review, it made my day! I definitely gave them a lot of pain this time. Yeah, I really wanted to bring out all that angst, especially since they all died in that last chapter. It certainly was, I mean she collapsed out of pure shock twice!**

 **Vanessa Rowes: *DOUBLY OBNOXIOUS SQUEE* That is the sweetest thing, and this was such a lovely review, my heart. You're adorable. So happy you're enjoying it so far!**

 **Heroherondale. x**


	3. Survivors Guilt

CHAPTER THREE

With intertwined hands, the two girls walked down the stone paved pathway to the graveyard, squeezing their hands together to remind each other that they weren't alone.

Sophia and Iris carried two bunches of flowers in their other hands, a mix of yellow lily's and blue Iris's. Sophia admitted that she was the one to pick up the flowers that morning to take with, and it had brought a smile to Iris's face as she saw the meaning behind them.

It was the first time that Sophia was going to visit her two friends that had fallen since her return home. She had taken the first few days to get back into a relatively normal routine in terms of her health. Quite a bit of her time had been taken up with thinking about her powers, what she would do now that they were gone. She wasn't sure how she was going to break it to the others, but she wanted to be out there on the front line still. She was able to fight, and she didn't want to sit back and watch Barry run into danger head first without her. But somehow she knew that it wouldn't work out like that in the end. She tried not to dwell on it too much considering there were more important things going on, but it was hard not to. She hadn't bothered to look at the fact that according to Central City she was declared legally dead. She also hadn't had time to factor in that she didn't have a job anymore, and that her old life was basically thrown completely upside down. She just tried to focus on functioning like a normal human being and reigniting her relationships with those she had left behind.

She hadn't had a chance to properly mourn, to give her prayers and thanks to the two men who had sacrificed their lives that day. She wished that Caitlin would have responded to her message to come with, but she had yet to receive any indication from the red-head that she would be accompanying them today.

She was just glad that Iris had given her a small smile, agreeing to come with. Their graves were next to each other, in the corner of the graveyard, settled underneath a beautiful willow tree that was flourishing with vibrant greens and pinks around as flowers grew on the ground next to the stones that marked their graves.

Eddie Thawne and Ronald Raymond.

Sophia took a deep breath as her eyes flickered over their names, gulping as she felt her throat closing up. She let go of Iris's hand, taking a step forward, her brown boots crunching against the grass as she placed one set of flowers in front of Ronnie's grave. Iris then took the initiative, moving forward and placing the other beside Eddie's.

Sophia couldn't help but notice that next to theirs in the corner, she found her own headstone. Her heart lurched in her chest at the sight of her name, reminding her that she needed to speak to Joe to see if it could be removed. She quickly adjusted her gaze, hoping that Iris didn't notice she was staring at it, her eyes moving back to Eddie and Ronnie's head stones.

"Hey there, you two," Sophia said, trying to force a smile on her face. "I'm sorry for not coming earlier, things have been a bit crazy. I-I uh-, I don't know what to say…" She paused. "Though I didn't know you as long as I would have liked, you both became my friends very fast, and in the end, you were like family," Sophia's voice cracked, but she continued, finding the strength when Iris stood next to her, holding onto her hand. "You'll never be forgotten, your sacrifice will never be forgotten. I'm going to miss you both, especially you Eddie. You both deserved more than this." She wasn't sure how she had remained so composed until the end. The tears were steadily streaming down her face and she used her free hand to wipe them away, sniffling as she dabbed her nose with a tissue she pulled out of her pocket, glad that she had remembered to bring a few along with her.

Iris then spoke a few words, her voice stronger than Sophia's. She always applauded Iris's strength, and she was so glad to have that to hold on to. But as time trickled on, Sophia's thoughts drowned them out, like an echo in the distance.

She felt guilty. _You don't deserve to be here_ the voice in her head rang. _You deserve to be buried in the ground, just like they were._

She had cheated death. They had all made a sacrifice that day, but she had been the one to escape it, safely transported to another Earth instead of obliterated into ashes in the singularity. She didn't deserve to be there, to be alive, when they had suffered. The longer she stared at their names carved in the stone, marking their deaths, she felt herself suffocating.

"I-I have to go, Iris," Sophia suddenly spoke, breaking the silence as she looked over at Iris's tear stained cheeks. This was her fault. No wonder Caitlin didn't want to come along. Why would any of them want to see _her_ when she had been the one to cheat death, when their loved ones had perished.

"What?" Iris blinked, confused at Sophia's sudden change in behaviour.

"I-I can't, _I'm sorry_ ," She whispered, walking backwards, nearly tripping over as she turned around and bolted from the graveyard. Without her powers, she wasn't able to fly away like her instincts had told her, so she did what she knew best as a human. She ran, as fast as she could, hoping that eventually she would be able to make her way home. But for now, that didn't matter. All that mattered was the wind hitting her skin as she moved below the stormy grey clouds, her tears slapping against her skin in tandem with the wind.

* * *

Hours later she found herself sitting in silence on the broken and torn apart roof of Star Labs. It had been damaged extensively on _that_ day, and had yet to be fully repaired. But she had enough room to sit on a ledge, her legs dangling off dangerously as she stared off into the heart of Central City, admiring the sunset before her very eyes. Hues of pink, blue and yellow blended together to form a beautiful sight that shadowed the tall elegant buildings. A sight that made her feel at home.

She had been up here for a while, but she had no intention of coming down just yet. It had taken quite a bit out of her to get up there. The stairs leading to the little escape hatch to the roof were not made for someone who had just run across half of Central City. Eventually she had slowed her pace into a walk, knowing that if she pushed her body further she would have ended up having an asthma attack on the middle of the sidewalk. She tried not to think about the fact that her body ached much more than it would have with her powers, knowing that if she did a panic attack would accompany her that night. She just wanted to sit up here for a little while longer, escaping the world for just a moment.

She didn't know what to think, what to feel anymore. She had been gone for three months, but it felt like eternity. _Do I even deserve to be here?_

The thoughts of doubt rattled her mind and she felt helpless. She sniffled, bringing her arms up to her chest, wrapping them around herself in an attempt to keep warm. She was wearing a dark red long sleeve top, but the thin material wasn't enough to keep the cool winds from producing Goosebumps along her smooth skin. She had dropped her jacket off in the empty shell that was the cortex, having felt hot from the run, but she was now regretting that decision.

"I had a feeling I would find you up here."

She knew Barry's voice anywhere. She didn't bother turning around, just kept looking straight ahead. She felt the rush of wind as he ran over, taking a seat next to her, his arm brushing against hers, his thigh pressing into hers as he left no room between them. Having him so close to her again reminded her of the secret she was keeping from him, and it just made the guilt deep inside of her growth even more. She was sure that she would explode with everything she was keeping bottled up inside.

"You know… when you were gone," He spoke, pausing for a moment as he bit his lip. "When you were gone, I would come up here a lot. I would sit here on this ledge and think of you, and I felt like I wasn't alone in the world. Like you would come and find me here like you always did. And every day, I would sit here, and I would pray and I would plead and I would hope that one day you would return to me," Barry said softly, taking her hand in his. " _Don't ever leave me again_ ," His voice was barely above a whisper, and she was sure that if he wasn't so close to her that she would have missed it.

She met his gaze and her heart broke as she looked into eyes that was so tired, so worn out, so full of loss and tragedy. A tear trickled down his cheek and she moved forward, kissing it away. She couldn't even begin to imagine the emotional trauma that he had gone through. She licked her lips instinctively, bringing a hand up to cup the side of his face, rubbing her thumb soothingly on the side of his cheek. "I'm here." She exhaled. "I don't deserve to be here, but I am and I promise that I will try my best to deserve you for the rest of my life." Her lips hovered against his before she closed the distance, pressing a soft, slow kiss to the corner of his mouth. His face tilted and this time their lips melded perfectly against each other, a heady sigh leaving his lips as her tongue brushed against his. This time their movements were slow and sensual, savouring each moment between each other. With hooded eyelids she broke away from him, leaning her forehead against his. She was about to move in for another kiss when he brought his fingers to her lips and she smiled, pressing a soft kiss to his finger, her eyes moving from his hand to his eyes, waiting for him to continue.

"You deserve to be here, just like Eddie and Ronnie deserve to be here as well. I know how easy it is just to blame yourself, but it's just the way things worked out. Don't blame yourself for surviving. _Never_ blame yourself for surviving," Barry told her seriously, and with sorrowful eyes she nodded, willing herself not to cry at the words he spoke with such conviction.

She gave him a small smile, her way of saying that she would try. She then snuggled closer to his form, leaning her head against his shoulder, and she closed her eyes, her thoughts focused on Barry, focused on his warmth, his love and his words.

* * *

Sophia was sitting in her living room, curled up on her couch with a copy of Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone to keep herself occupied. Barry was running around the apartment, doing a little spring cleaning. She had just hung up her phone after chatting with her father for a little bit. She had visited him last week and nearly given him a heart attack as he watched her with his own two eyes. The whole situation had been traumatic and she did her very best to reassure her father that she was there, alive and safe. She was sure that the quick trip to Kansas would have been much harder if Barry wasn't by her side.

It had been a long and tiring escapade, but she was glad that she sorted things out, and that at least her father could rest easy with the knowledge that she was still alive, that she hadn't left him just yet. It was then with tired eyes and a heavy heart that Barry ran them back to Central City, deciding to spend the night at the West household in his bedroom. She had inquired the next morning what had happened to her apartment and what they were going to do about the whole dilemma of her death on this Earth. Joe had reassured Sophia that they would meet up later and go over what would have to be done next in terms of legalities being put into place and he told her that she was more than welcome to stay with them for the meantime.

When Joe left that morning, leaving them sitting in the kitchen, sipping on their coffee and eating pancakes, Barry had decided to tell Sophia that her apartment was still in her name, and that Chewie was still running around the West house somewhere. The previous day had been such a rush that it had completely slipped his mind to mention it to her. He was still trying to get use to the fact that she was here, in the flesh. That this wasn't just a dream, one that he had reoccurring since her passing.

When he had admitted that he had been paying the rent for her apartment, she gave him the biggest smile, commenting on how he was too sweet and he blushed a light pink, eliciting a giggle from her. But upon this admission, he also told her that he hadn't been back since _that_ day.

Walking into her apartment after so long had been emotionally exhausting. She was finally _home._ But it was a complete mess. The entire place was covered in a thick layer of dust as a result of her absence, making the uneasy feeling return to her gut as she walked around the room. She moved to get started with a clean-up, but Barry insisted that she just take a seat on her couch and let him do the work. If she had more energy she would have protested a bit more, and at least moved to clean up a few things, but still tired from everything that had been going on in the last week, and the added fact that she had only awoken from a coma that lasted for three months, she knew that she needed to take things a bit easy.

She turned the page of the novel, flipping to the chapter where the first years would be sorted into their houses she heard the vacuum being switched on. The steady hum and suction noise emitted from the cleaning device distracted her momentarily. She placed her bookmark in place, putting it down on the coffee table in front of her that Barry had already wiped down, cleaning it in a seconds notice. She picked up the herbal tea sitting there, taking a sip of the steaming liquid, relishing in the warmth that it brought her. She sighed contentedly as Chewie crawled over, nuzzling her head into her leg. Sophia looked down at her cat with a smile. She hadn't realised that her poor cat would have missed her. She was just glad that she remembered her. Over three months apart was a long time.

"Are you done yet?" Sophia called out into the apartment, noting that the vacuum had been turned off.

"Nearly," Barry yelled out. "Just give me a sec."

Sophia hummed in response, closing her eyes for a moment as she took the opportunity to relax. A rush of wind followed, and Barry was standing in front of her.

"Want to come check it out?" Barry asked with an excited smile. He had cleaned up her apartment in two minutes. Super speed was sure handy. But then looking at the room, he noticed that it looked dull, like it was lacking something, lacking some love and life. So he took the opportunity to redecorate a little bit. He added in some more colourful pillows on top of her monochromatic bed spread. He fixed the broken lightbulb in her bedside lamp, changing the colour of the lamp shade to add some life to the room, opting for a sapphire colour that he thought matched quite well. He then moved onto displaying a few framed photos of Sophia's family, her mother and father and then some gems that the two of them had shared, as well as the team. He was quite proud of the new look and he hoped that she wouldn't mind. He figured that a change of pace would do wonders for the both of them. He knew that the last three months had been extremely painful, and even though she had returned, he still wasn't the same.

He still had to endure the loss of both Ronnie and Eddie. Their deaths rested on his shoulders and the damage left that was littered across the streets of Central City was something that was always on his consciousness. But he hoped now that his love was back in his arms, that things would start to run smoother for not only him, but for all of his friends. He knew that losing all three at once had been a traumatic, and he hoped that for all their sakes that they would soon be on the road to recovery.

"You better not have changed anything," Sophia teased with a serious voice, a raised brow on her face. He froze in his step his eyes darting to hers and she cracked a smile at his frightened expression.

"Kidding."

"Goodness, you love to give me heart palpitations don't you?" Barry rolled his eyes.

"I don't need to open my mouth to do that," Sophia retorted with a laugh and when he turned a bit red at her comment she knew that she was right.

She stood up from the couch, placing her hand in Barry's as they walked over to her room. She noted as she walked to the room that the apartment seemed brighter than it had prior to the clean and for that she was glad. There was also a hint of cinnamon in the air and Sophia loved the smell, finding that it reminded her of Barry on a Sunday morning as they lay in bed, tangled in the soft sheets and pressed up against each other. She blinked, trying to avoid those thoughts as she focused on the task at hand. Her room. _Yes, my room._

The room just screamed _home_ and Sophia fell in love the moment she laid eyes on it. It was relatively the same layout as it had been before, but the small changes and the added touches of love that Barry had incorporated really made her heart smile.

"You're amazing you know that?" Sophia asked as she turned her head to look at Barry. She didn't even have to smile with her lips for him to know that she was happy, he could see it all in her gorgeous eyes.

He shrugged giving her a sheepish smile as she pulled him in for a swift kiss before he took her around the room, showing her the way he had also organised her closet. She wondered how he could have done it so fast. She knew that he moved incredibly fast, but just the thought process in setting everything up would have taken a while, and she was sure that he hadn't spent more than ten minutes doing the whole apartment.

"Um, I don't need all this space," Sophia said, an idea popping into her head. She felt incredibly shy all of a sudden, but she knew that she wanted this. She emptied the first three drawers on the side of her closet, leaving only half of them full.

"What are you doing?" Barry asked, eying her as she started to empty the drawers filled with clothes that he had just organised.

"Making space," Sophia said.

"Why?"

"Where else do you suggest you keep your clothes then?" Sophia asked, not expecting him to actually answer. He turned to her with wide eyes and all the shyness she had felt a few moments ago had dissipated as she watched his adorable confused expression.

"Sorry, _what?"_ Barry asked, leaning forward slightly.

"I _said_ where else will you keep your clothes." Sophia bit her lip, her eyes watching him carefully in anticipation.

" _Wha_ -You-Are you asking me to move in with you?" Barry asked, fumbling with his words. She admitted that it was quite funny, but she bit back her laughter, nodding vigorously after he managed to get his question out.

"Yes. I think it's overdue," Sophia mused a grin erupting on her face when she saw Barry take a step forward to her, his lips matching her own.

"I guess you better make a bit more space then. I need a spot to hide my endless collection of converse," Barry said and Sophia leaped into his arms, laughter bubbling out of her as she peppered his face in kisses. He joined in on the laughter, and he was sure that his face was going to hurt soon with the way he was smiling, but he didn't care. He hadn't felt happiness like this in months and he was going to enjoy it as much as he could.

Sophia leaned her forehead against his. "I love you," Barry whispered against her lips. " _I love you so god damn much._ "

"I love you, too, Barry."

* * *

Joe sat at his desk at the CCPD, trying to shuffle through the mess of papers that littered the small work space he had. He knew that he was bad at keeping his table organised, but this was a new level of messy. He sighed, grabbing the cup of coffee on the side of his desk and taking a sip of the warm drink, his nose scrunching in distaste as he remembered the foul taste he had experienced that morning when he had taken a sip of what seemed to be a cold cup of coffee from the previous night.

Joe had told Sophia that he would handle all the legalities in regards to getting her brought back from the dead. He knew that she would need to go before a small court in order to be legally resurrected from the dead, but he hadn't realised how much useless and tedious paperwork would also have to go into it.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. He could do this, it wouldn't take long and then he would be back home and enjoying a warm home cooked meal with his family.

Speaking of family, Iris had just walked into the room, heading straight for her father's desk. Ever since Sophia's abrupt departure at the graveyard yesterday morning, Iris had yet to hear back from her or Barry and she was starting to worry. She knew that visiting their graves wasn't going to be easy, but she hadn't expected Sophia to react like that.

"Hey Dad," Iris greeted, placing a kiss on his cheek as she took a seat next to him, watching as he signed a document.

"Hey sweetheart." Joe gave her a smile. "I thought you would be at home by now. Everything okay?" Joe asked, taking a look at Iris. He had been more worried about her in these last few months than in his entire life. He had never seen Iris so broken and battered over the loss of someone, and he felt the guilt seep into his heart every time he watched the solemn look painted on her face, or the tears that occasionally adorned her cheeks.

"I'm fine. It's just, Sophia. Have you heard from her at all today?" Iris asked, getting straight to the point.

"Can't say I have. What's wrong?" Joe asked, turning to her in concern.

"Nothing, I mean… we went to the graveyard yesterday morning, to visit _Eddie_ and Ronnie, and she just snapped, and left," Iris explained to her father, a frown on her face.

Joe let out a heavy sigh as he realised what was going on. He knew that Barry had gone through the same thing when he lost his mother as a child. "Honey, she's probably blaming herself for being the only one to make it out. She should have died in that explosion along with Ronnie, but somehow she made it out, and she's feeling guilty for it."

"But she had no control over that. She didn't have a choice, just like they didn't have a choice," Iris said, trying not to think about how Eddie had been the one to pull the trigger, because he in fact did have a choice. But he had made the sacrifice, he had used his choice selflessly to protect them all.

"I know, baby, but you just need to give her a bit of time. Don't you remember how Barry was after his mother died?"

"Yeah, I do," Iris replied with a solemn expression, flashing back to a time where she would try and comfort Barry, the newest member to the family as he would cry and scream out into the night in anguish, calling out for his mother, calling out for someone to take him as well. "I-I don't know what to do."

"Give her some space, but just reassure her that no one blames her, that it's not her fault for making it out alive when the others didn't," Joe advised, placing his hand on Iris's cheek, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. "I've got a mountain of paperwork to get through, I'll meet you at home as soon as I can."

"Sure, Dad. I'll see you at home," Iris said, giving him a small smile before walking out of the CCPD with her hands stuck in the pockets of her coat, her mind ticking away, wondering what she could do to make sure that Sophia didn't feel the way she did. She had already lost so much and she didn't plan on losing another friend.

* * *

It had been a few days since Barry moved into her apartment, and she felt more like herself again. She felt terrible for rushing out on Iris and she made a mental note to give her a call later, to apologise. But before she did that, she had more important things she needed to sort out. Later today she would be meeting Joe to finalise all the paperwork, meet with her godmother Cecile to get everything fast tracked. It had been a weird week as she officially reappeared in Central City, announcing to all her friends and family that hadn't found out already that she was alive. She had received mixed responses, some of pure happiness and laughter, and others mixed with those emotions and tears as they clung to her, telling her that they had thought she had been lost to them forever. That had mostly been Anna when Superman had brought her to visit upon hearing that she was indeed alive. Her godmother had pulled her into her arms, crying, but also with a bright smile on her face as she announced she was happy that things had somehow worked out in the end.

Sophia had been using the excuse that she had gotten caught up in the events of that day, like how many others had. She had told them that The Flash had saved her, but she had received a head injury, leaving her with a memory impairment, and the only thing she remembered was waking up in her apartment after the three months. The three months was just deemed as her being _missing_ according to the CCPDs reports, and she was glad that with Joe's pull no other questions were asked. Caitlin had faked some medical documents for them and provided it to the CCPD to support their fake story, and Sophia had gotten her job back at Central City Hospital, but she would be taking another week off until she got back into her old routine. She needed a bit of time to gain some perspective on her life before she jumped back into everything.

She was still suffering through the nightmare of what had happened, and mourning those they lost that day. She was also trying to adjust to the fact that their team no longer worked together. Joe was focused on his work at the CCPD, Iris burying herself in a mountain of journalism. Cisco had even joined the CCPD as he worked in tandem with Captain Singh to form some sort of anti-meta human task force. Barry was the most attentive at this point in time, but she could feel him slipping away from her even though they were living together. He would come to bed at late hours, long after she had fallen asleep, and he was constantly at work, even though she knew he didn't spend that much time analysing evidence as a CSI since he had become The Flash. Caitlin was another story in itself, only communicating if it was an emergency, and even then her interactions were cold. Sophia felt lost in this mess, and she didn't know what to do. To her, those events had only happened a mere few weeks ago, but to them it had been months on end. She was worried that if it had been three months and the team still hadn't come back, working in tandem to fight meta-humans and crime with The Flash, that now that she was back, things still wouldn't be the same, especially now that she was…ordinary.

Sophia rolled over in her bed, her eyes glancing to the clock on the side, telling her that it was now nearing nine am, and she had to get up soon. She then looked down at the empty spot on the bed beside her and she closed her eyes, frowning as she did so. She knew that Barry wasn't doing it on purpose, but she could tell that he was pulling away, avoiding not only her, but everyone. She had spoken to Joe the previous night on the phone when Barry hadn't picked up her call, to find out that he had fallen asleep in his lab at the CCPD.

Sophia begrudgingly pushed herself out of bed, moving to her bathroom, and turning on the shower. She needed to tell someone about her current predicament. She was sure that if she kept it hidden any longer, she would explode. She needed to tell at least one person. And that's when it clicked. She would tell Anna. Anna had known her since she was a teenager, and she could trust that she wouldn't tell anyone in Central City about it. She just needed to get into contact with her.

Sophia quickly finished up her shower, throwing a quick outfit together as she brushed her wet hair out, putting it in a quick braid. She walked across her room, grabbing her phone from her side table, taking it off charge, dialling Anna's number.

After the fourth ring, Sophia was going to hang up, but then Anna picked up.

"Morning, sweetheart," Anna greeted cheerfully.

"Morning, Anna. You sound perky," Sophia said with a smile.

"I've had a good morning is all, plus now that you're back I feel much better," Anna replied and Sophia closed her eyes, letting out a sad smile, not that anyone could see that anyway.

"Listen, I have something to tell you, but can you please keep it between us?"

"Of course."

And with that Sophia began her story. She explained in detail how this magician had helped her, how he was able to perform the spell, but in doing so she had to sacrifice her powers. Anna gasped as she listened to the story, feeling terrible that Sophia had to sacrifice so much when she had already lost so much. Sophia made sure to tell Anna that she would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant coming back to her family, but she just wasn't sure how to break the news to the others. She wanted to keep it a secret for a while longer, fearing that if she told them about it, they would treat her like she was fragile porcelain, which she couldn't imagine, since they were already pretty much there right now.

"What do I do? I just don't want to tell them and then they pull me out of the front line," Sophia explained. Powers or no powers, she still wanted to help people.

"I-I think you need to take it easy for a bit, you need to learn that you're no longer as invincible as you were before. This time, when you bleed, it won't take a few hours to heal. You've got different limitations now, more than before," Anna spoke cautiously. She didn't want to upset Sophia, but she knew that the girl had to realise that being human again meant that she wouldn't be able to be at the forefront of the fight. She would only have her fists to protect herself this time round.

"I know I have to be more careful, but it's a part of me that I can't let go," Sophia said in a strained voice. "I-I can't give up being Sapphire."

"I understand, but you need to promise yourself that you'll be careful. That you won't go beyond your capabilities. A-And I think that you need to tell Barry, if not right now, then soon. The longer you keep this from him, the worse both of you will feel once the cats out of the bag," Anna advised.

Sophia sighed, agreeing with Anna. "I will. J-Just not right now."

* * *

Months had passed and suddenly Sophia found herself 6 months post-singularity, still keeping secrets from the others.

Things seemed to have progressed from bad to worse over the course of the last three months since she had been back. Friendships were nearly non-existent and relationships were strained. Everyone was still struggling with their own personal mourning. Everyone except for Joe and Cisco it seemed, but she was sure that those two were just good at hiding their emotions.

Even though Barry was living with her now, she never felt more far away from him in their entire relationship. It was like their bodies were there, but they weren't. They hardly spoke, and their interactions were scarce. She missed him dearly, but she knew that until he sorted out whatever emotional internal turmoil he was going through then their relationship wouldn't survive. And the added fact that she was keeping secrets didn't help.

He was constantly working, and she found that once she was alone with her thoughts all she wanted to do was drown her sorrows in a few drinks. She found out after a few nights of that, that it wasn't the best idea. Then she tried to occupy herself with working ridiculous hours at the hospital, and that was only a temporary distraction.

She knew that she really, really shouldn't have, but in the end she succumbed to her desires.

She went out on patrol.

By herself.

Without her powers.

She was dressed in her signature super suit, finding that she was more comfortable fighting in it than anything else. The dark leather was built to withstand scratches and slices from knives, so that was an added plus, as it protected the most important parts of her body. Her fingers formed fists in the leather gloves, relishing in the scrunching sound the tough leather made. She withdrew the cape, leaving her wearing the one piece suit. Her long hair was tied up expertly, the single ponytail it had formed, staying put during most of the night. Her mask framed her eyes perfectly, and it was secure, but as she stood there in front of the mirror at home she couldn't help but let out a nervous sigh as she tapped her feet anxiously in front of her.

This wasn't the first time she had gone out on patrol since her return, but it would be the first time she went out there by herself in the dead of night. Barry was working late at the CCPD and she knew that he wouldn't be home for a while, if he came back at all. He was working a lot of these shifts lately, and she wondered if it was because he was trying to avoid her, or if he just found it easier to distract himself from dark thoughts when he was at work, or rebuilding parts of the city.

She wasn't sure how she had managed to keep it a secret from the others even when patrolling a few times with Barry and Cisco. With her basic knowledge about engineering and physics, she was able to create a lens that she hid underneath the mask, connecting it to her suit. When she pressed a button on the side of her thumb, her eyes glowed their bright blue, the lens mimicking her previous natural ability. This was enough to tide the suspicion over, and somehow things had just worked out in the end, and no one had questioned a thing. But she was sure that sooner rather than later, they would discover that something was up.

With one final look at herself in the mirror, she straightened up her back, taking in a deep breath, nodding at her reflection. She could do this.

She pressed into the comm. in her ear, and the police scanners echoed throughout her ears. She didn't have to worry about anyone else. Tonight she was in control.

Since she didn't have her powers, she had spent the last few months training her stamina back up again. She became faster in her running, and didn't feel as lethargic after running a few miles. Her agility had also improved. Her reflexes were nearly as fast as they had been before and she was happy with her improvements. She had spent quite a bit of time training in the gym at Star Labs into the early hours of the morning.

She was confident in her abilities at hand to hand combat now that she had to primarily rely on that. She had hidden a motorcycle in the garage of an abandoned building a few blocks away from her apartment building. She had bought it second hand, in cash, from a seller down in the darker parts of Central City. She ripped the plates off, not needing anyone to track it back to her. She had jogged the few blocks it took to get there, making sure to take a different route each time, not needing anyone to follow her there. She made sure to change the location of the stash every few days just to be sure, making certain not to use the same one more than twice. Upon entering the empty hiding place, she stuck her keys into ignition, jumping on the seat, securing herself in as she revved the engine.

"Robbery on Fletcher Avenue, suspects armed." The police scanner had delivered quite well tonight. She thought about her game plan before entering the scene, knowing that she would have to be extra careful seeing as though they seemed to have weapons…ones that she wouldn't be able to deflect with her energy shields.

Sophia continued with her mission, headstrong as she pushed down hard on the accelerator, the bike flying in and out of traffic. It gave her the same rush as flying and she was glad at least one thing was the same in her life right now.

She was nearing Fletcher Avenue, and with the police most likely arriving at the front, she made a safe bet in heading for the back of the block, realising it would be easier to intercept the robbers there.

Watching the two tall men leave the crime scene, running out the back door onto the wet concrete, their dark clothes hiding them in the night, she let a smirk erupt on her face at her correct guess. She didn't bother slowing down, the headlights shining brightly in their eyes, enough to make them squint and falter in their steps as she came barrelling toward them. She swiftly turned the bike sideways, doing a backward flip off it and landing on the concrete without breaking a sweat, watching with a pleased smile as it crashed into the two men, leaving them laying on the ground in pain. One got back up and attempted to attack her with a few calculated hits, he was down again. She knew that they might have a few broken bones, but other than that, they were alive.

She left the bike there, deciding it wasn't worth saving. The CCPD would be there in any second to arrest the two thugs on the ground. She turned around, and she would later berate herself for not keeping herself on high alert. Standing behind her and not far away was a tall man in all black. He was wearing a dark hoodie and jeans, and he was ridiculously built. She moved forward to see who it was. She wasn't sure if it was an accomplice or a bystander, but by the time she had taken a step forward, he had disappeared from sight, and she wasn't sure if she had dreamed up the entire thing. She blinked, looking around once more to see that she was alone. She frowned as she heard police sirens and decided it was time to get out of there. A second later, she heard the rumble of thunder in the distance and she looked up just in time to see the rain falling down rhythmically. She shook her head, her lips forming a grimace as her leather clad feet padded across the concrete floor, trying her very best to get home before she was soaked to the bone.

* * *

Evidently Sophia hadn't reached home in time because the next day she was cuddled up in bed, alone and with a cold, but she never felt better.

She had called in sick to work at the hospital, knowing that she was in no shape to take care of people when she could barely take care of herself. She had made sure that all her tracks were covered, and Barry would be none the wiser. But, then the stupid cold had to appear. But if she knew that a cold was all it took for Barry to come back down to Earth then she would have made herself sick weeks ago.

He was in the kitchen, making her some lemon and honey tea, making sure to instruct her to stay in bed. He had come home a few hours after she had only to find her laying on the bed and shivering, muttering in her fever riddled sleep.

Barry felt guilty when he found her there, sick and all alone. He knew that their relationship had been strained and struggling, but he still loved her more than anything, regardless of what they were all going through. Seeing her looking so pale and sick made him realise how much he had been neglecting her, but he couldn't help it. Deep inside he had dark thoughts, believing that if he just removed himself from the equation, that those around him would be safe. That's why his current social life was so poor, and though it hurt him, he felt that his actions would protect his friends and family. But he hadn't been able to push Sophia away, at least not as much as he had with Cisco and Caitlin. He had already lost her once and he wasn't planning to lose her again, he just needed some space to sort himself out before he jumped back into things, something he only realised after he had moved in with her. It was a big step and he was starting to wonder if he was sure about it all. But then when he was overcome with the urge to take care of her, to nurse her back to health, he knew in an instant that his doubts were just that. Doubts. Never anything real. He would always be there for her, and he shouldn't have thought otherwise. So he had decided that morning that he would call in sick for the first time in what seemed like forever. Captain Singh didn't seem to have an issue with it, but Barry would still be on call if they had an emergency.

He had started by getting Sophia some pain killers, and getting her into a more comfortable position on the bed, wrapping her up in warm blankets, and making sure that she got plenty of fluids in. He had coddled her, and usually she would hate that, but when he did it all she could do was comply. He had even tried to make her chicken soup earlier. _Bless your soul_ she thought. She knew that Barry was a terrible cook, but he had tried. He had actually called Arthur to ask what Sophia's favourite soup was when she was sick, and her father had instructed Barry on how to make it. Barry found it surprisingly easy and even though the first batch had turned out horrible, with his speed he was able to make a new one in no time, and he had to admit that it was pretty damn good. Sophia seemed to enjoy it as well which had made him even happier.

They sat in bed together all day, cuddled up nice and tight, in their pyjamas, watching old re-runs of the x-files, laughing more than they had in a long time, and it felt…good. It felt normal. And so when Barry had asked her how she had gotten the cold, and she told him that she was out in the rain, everything just seemed to come out.

"I-I have something to tell you," Sophia said, biting down on her lip. She was still hesitant about it, but she needed to tell him.

"You're not pregnant are you?"

"No." She frowned.

" _Oh_."

"Are you disappointed?" Sophia asked, nearly laughing.

"What?" He defended with a pout. "Kids are cute." Not to mention he had been thinking about their future for quite some time.

"Don't you think you should propose first before we have kids?" Sophia asked with a raised brow and Barry flushed. He clearly hadn't been thinking when the words originally came out of his mouth.

"Eh, let's just forget I said anything in the first place," Barry said with pursed lips. He had just dug himself in deeper. He knew that neither of them were ready for that level of commitment just yet, even though they loved each other, they were still struggling with their _other_ life, and all the drama that it brought with it.

"Well, to clear things up, no I am not pregnant, and that wasn't even close to what I was going to say," Sophia said with a small shake of her head.

"Well, go on then, love," Barry said, leaning down and placing a kiss on her cheek. She did feel a bit lighter after his comment and decided to just get it over with. _Rip off the damn band-aid_ _Sophia, just say it_.

"So you know when I came back from that _other_ Earth?" Her voice was timid as she spoke.

"Yeah," Barry hummed, waiting for her to continue.

"Well, there was a price that I had to pay to get back here." Barry froze, his fingers stopping from where they had previously been playing with her hair as he thought about the implication of her words.

"What do you mean, _price_?" Barry frowned, worry building up in his chest.

"It means that I had to make a decision, a-and I chose _you_." She tried to brave a smile, but it slowly collapsed and she could feel the tears coming on. She was an idiot for not telling him sooner. She was more worried about him not forgiving her for keeping it a secret than not having her powers at the moment. "I had to give up my powers," Sophia whispered so faintly he almost didn't hear it.

"What?" Barry asked in confusion. "But you-"

"I lied, all this time, I kept it a secret," She spat out the words, angry at herself. She looked down at her hands that were sitting in her lap, feeling ashamed to meet his gaze. "I was afraid, and I hadn't come to terms with it myself so I kept it a secret, a-and I shouldn't have, but I did and I'm sorry, Barry, _I'm so sorry_ ," Sophia choked out. She wasn't sure when she had started crying, but she could feel Barry's fingers wiping away the tears on her cheeks.

"My beautiful, Sophia," Barry breathed out, leaning his forehead against hers. "Always so selfless, always sacrificing her own happiness for others," Barry didn't care that she was sick, he leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "I forgive you."

Those were the words that she needed to hear, and suddenly it all came rushing out. Barry held her in his arms as she cried, finally mourning properly for the loss of her powers, for the loss of the biggest part of herself, and he let her. He didn't bother thinking about reprimanding her for keeping it a secret for so long, or for going out on patrol by herself, putting her in greater danger without her abilities. He knew how it felt to lose his powers, to lose a part of himself, and he was astounded that she was so strong to keep herself together for so long.

"You're stronger than anyone I know. I can't even begin to imagine what it took to make that decision," Barry breathed out in admiration. If it was possible, he found himself loving her even more than before.

"I'm really not, if I was I would be able to handle this better," Sophia laughed bitterly. " _But_ in saying that, if I had to do it again, if I was given the choice, I wouldn't hesitate in choosing you. Living without powers sucks, big time. But I think living without you, without everyone here, it would suck more," Sophia admitted, this time letting out another laugh, this time it was real. "I really have a way with words don't I?"

" _Oh_ , yeah, for sure," Barry leaned down, capturing her lips in a short kiss. "We'll find a way, one day, we'll find a way to get it back," Barry promised. He wasn't sure if it would be possible, but he would do everything he could to help her, just like she did for him.

"I was so worried that you would hate me for keeping it a secret," Sophia whispered, her warm breath brushing against his neck.

"I could never hate you. You're the love of my life," Barry let out a light laugh, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he held her close to his chest.

They lay there pretty much the rest of the day, enjoying each other's company, and for the first time in months, both of them finally felt at ease, finding a moment of peace within each other.

* * *

 **A / N –** So they've finally moved to the six month stage post-singularity.

Next chapter will be the start of season 2, how exciting!

Thanks again for the overwhelming amount of follows/faves/reviews. You guys are amazing. I would have published this sooner, but I have barely written anything for this story in a few weeks because I've been very ill, and the meds aren't really helping much, so this had to wait a while.

 **Replies:  
Immortalman18: **Thank you for the review! Guess you'll have to wait and see… but I promise, it's not gone for long.

 **Purplemonkey36:** Woo! Back and better than ever (not really because it's all angsty, but you get my point). Thanks for the review!

 **Turtlekier42:** Yeah! She's back, woo! Awww, yeah it was heart wrenching wasn't it… I don't think this chapter was any better on her either. At least the truth is out.

 **Random2Friends:** THAT IS THE REAL QUESTION. And you will all have to wait and see how it plays out (evil laughter). I love torturing my characters, I am sorry. Thank you for the review!

 **RHatch89:** It's not gone forever, so don't worry. You'll just have to wait and see how it plays out. Thanks for the review!

 **Thebeezekneeze:** right back at ya! Thanks for the review.

 **Vanessa Rowes:** Thanks for the advice. Each chapter coming to you guys will range from around 8-12k because I'm only updating once a fortnight rather than weekly.

 **-Queen:** Aw, thanks hun! Well, longer chapters are here, so be excited! Also loving the new UN.

 **Panda-Chan8:** CISCO IS MY SPIRIT ANIMAL. Thank you so much for your review again, loved it!

 **Guest:** Thank you so much for your kind words! Well, there you go, you have Barry's reaction, the others will come later. Guess we'll see what happens next time! Thank you so much, it's always motivating to see reviews!

 **Ram-Z Malfoy:** Thank you heaps! Glad you like long chapters, cos that's what you'll be getting!

 **The-mad-girl-with-a-book:** Thanks for the review, and your suggestion! It'll definitely change up every now and then.

 **AmyRoxx213:** Thanks love! Yeah, it had me sad too, but trust me, it's not for long… that long anyway.

 **Natalie:** Thanks for the review, here is your update!

 **Jason Hunter:** Aha! We'll have to wait and see. I haven't figured out if I want E2 Sophia to be a vigilante or a villain… leaning more towards the vigilante side, so a hero, but a dark hero… how does that sound? Yeah, no way she's falling in love with Zoom. I will protect her from that monster at all costs.

Thank you again for all the lovely reviews. You guys are the best.

Til next time.

Heroherondale. X


	4. The Blame Game

CHAPTER FOUR

Waking up, wrapped up in the arms of her love was probably the most beautiful thing she had experienced in her life. Every touch, every caress, every moment by his side made her world brighter. Sophia hadn't realised how much she had missed this.

So as Barry lay there, sleeping soundly, she couldn't find it in herself to wake him up, even though she knew he had to be at work in twenty minutes. She figured that she could let him sleep a bit more, knowing that he needed it. Plus with the added fact that he could move faster than a speeding bullet, it wouldn't take long for him to get ready and head out to work.

Her eyes lazily trailed over his sleepy form, watching the rise and fall of his bare chest. The soft blankets were hazily pulled up, just covering their waists as they slept. It had been a cool night, but with their bodies pressed together, they were more than warm enough, drifting off into a peaceful slumber.

She was coming to terms with not having her powers at this point. She knew that it would be a while longer til she fully accepted it, but she knew deep down that she would have never been comfortable on the other earth. Giving her powers up to be back in Barry's arms wasn't a choice, it was a need, it was a necessity.

Sophia drew patterns on his chest, her fingers lightly brushing his skin, so as not to rouse him just yet. Her thoughts were brought to the fact that it was Monday, and today would be the day that the city celebrated The Flash.

Apparently when she had disappeared those months ago, they had thrown a day of celebration and mourning for the life of the Sapphire Knight that had visibly sacrificed her life for the city. In dedication and memory of her name, they had created a small memorial in the park of Central City. There were rumours about her return to the city, with what her nightly activities, but she had made sure to stay lurking in the shadows and without her powers, they assumed it was another. She knew that she would have to let them continue to believe that she had fallen that day.

But today was Barry's day, and she wanted him to go. She had spoken to him about it the previous night, pulling out a flyer that she had been given at the hospital. The mayor wanted to give The Flash a key to the city, and it was quite an honour. She was proud of him and she wanted him to see that the city was as well. Sophia wasn't sure why Barry was so adamant about not showing up, but she tried to tell him that it would mean a lot, not only to the people of Central City, but to her, _to him_. She knew that it would be good for him, and she tried to express this, but he had distracted her, _and distracted her well._ His lips were too mesmerising for their own good, and she was a goner the moment he moved towards her. From there, the conversation was forgotten, and they preoccupied themselves with each other, taking the night off from any talk of work of any kind.

She had an inkling that he was keeping something from her. She was just glad that their relationship was back on track. But she knew that he had been avoiding interaction with most people, other than Joe. He had yet to visit his father in Prison. He hadn't seen Iris for quite some time, and his interactions with Caitlin and Cisco were few and far between.

"Barry," Her voice was as light as a feather as she called out his name. She brought her fingers up to caress his cheek. "Barry, it's time to get up."

"Mmm. Sleeping, go away," Barry mumbled, but she could see the smile forming on his lips as he snuggled closer towards her, relishing in their body heat.

"Barry," She said in a sing-song voice. "I know I don't want to get up either, but you're going to be late to work."

"Can't I just stay here with you, where I know you'll never leave me again," Barry's words were muffled as he moved, burying his face in Sophia's neck. She knew that she wasn't meant to hear those words, but she did and her smile ebbed away, replaced with a sad look as she ran a hand through his hair. It was silent for a moment before Barry stiffened in his position, realising that he had said those words aloud. "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's fine, I just- I promise you, I'm not going to leave you again," Sophia said with a sad smile, and he nodded, leaning his forehead against hers. "Now as much as I love this, as much as I love you, you're going to be late," Sophia reminded him. "And I know we spoke about it last night, but I'm going to the ceremony today, and I would really love to see you there."

Barry didn't say anything more, just placed a sweet kiss on her lips, revelling in the high he had when he was with her before moving to get ready for the long day ahead.

* * *

Being back at the hospital was probably the best thing that Sophia could have hoped for. She missed her work, and she was welcomed back quite warmly, even by Brian of all people. It hadn't been hard at all to fall back into an easy routine and she found herself falling in love with her job all over again. She was still jumping around as a casual, moving from ward to ward depending on where they needed the extra staff, but she found that it was fun. It was definitely something different, and though it was a bit hectic at times, she found herself enjoying it.

She was in the middle of removing staples from an elderly ladies leg when her pager went off. She apologised to the patient for the buzzing noise, but kept removing the staples. She had her gloves on already and she couldn't turn it off without needing to go and remove them and grab a fresh pair.

"Just one more and I'm done," Sophia said to the patient who gave her a nod in response. The lady, Amelia who was in her 50s at most, kept her eyes closed, feeling slightly nauseas at the sight of the procedure taking place even though there wasn't much, if any, blood involved.

"There we go, all done," Sophia said, plopping the last staple into the small kidney dish she had on the side. She quickly grabbed a honeycomb dressing, and pulled it apart carefully, placing it down on the side of her leg where she had just removed the staples. It was all clean, and Sophia was sure that it wouldn't be long til Amelia was discharged.

"Thank you," Amelia said. She was ever thankful for the staff here and all they had done to aid her in the recovery process. She had fractured her neck of femur after a fall at home, and she had been terrified coming in for the operation, but she was glad that the recovery was running smoothly.

"My pleasure," Sophia said, pulling off the gloves and tossing them into the trash as she moved to wash her hands at the sink by the bedside of the room. "If you need anything at all love, just press the buzzer. But other than that, there's nothing scheduled for you today, you can rest up."

"Sounds great. Thanks sweetheart."

Sophia gave her one last smile before walking down the hall, and checking her pager. The beeping had stopped after a while, and she saw a message left for her by Brian. Looking at the time, she decided to go and meet him at his office rather than call back. It would certainly be easier.

But as she was walking down the hall, she spotted something in the corner of her peripheral vision. Unwillingly, a chill ran down her spine and she froze in her spot before deciding to turn around. She turned her head and she spotted a man dressed in all black standing at the end of the hallway, and her eyes narrowed in on him as she realised that she had seen this same person following her the other night during her patrol.

A wave of nausea and panic fell over her, but before she could even move towards the mysterious man in the dark hoodie, he was gone in the blink of an eye. She questioned whether she was seeing things herself, perhaps a trick of the light, or she had a potential stalker. Someone who was not only following her as her alter-ego, but her civilian identity as well.

And that scared her more than anything.

* * *

"So the victim. His name is Al Rothstein. Co-Worker found him this morning," Barry pointed out and Joe looked on at the crime scene, visibly blanching as he witnessed the violent site left behind. He grimaced and turned to Barry, crossing his arms as he focused on Barry's explanation.

"So, what do you got?"

"Petechiae on his face and the whites of his eyes, and this bruising around his neck…" Barry trailed off, letting the picture speak for itself. He had removed the sheet covering the top part of the body, revealing the purple and blue bruises that tattered the victim's neck.

"So he was strangled…obviously," Joe remarked.

"Mm-hmm."

"By someone very strong and very large."

"Or something?" Joe raised his brow.

"This wasn't Grodd," Barry said and the older West visibly sighed with relief.

"Oh, _thank god_."

"I'll let you know when I find more," Barry told Joe, covering the body back up with the sheet and removing his gloves.

" _So_ , this Flash Day thing. I'm hoping you're planning on making an appearance," Joe said and Barry let out a heavy sigh. He had spoken to Sophia who urged him to go, and Iris had made it clear that she would be as well, and now Joe was on his back. It wasn't that he didn't like the idea, it was that he felt he wasn't worthy. He shouldn't be receiving some gift, some reward for his efforts when it wasn't just him that saved them all that day, and it was the people who deserved it the most that weren't receiving the praise.

" _Ah_ …I haven't decided." _Yeah, let's go with that._

"Bar, I heard the Mayor's trying to give you the key to the city."

"Yeah, Sophia told me. She heard from Cecile," Barry said. "But that's beside the point. I don't need an award."

"You love getting awards," Joe said, remembering Barry coming home as a kid, winning first place in a science completion, and grinning with a toothy smile as he told Joe and Iris. "Like all those science trophies you got in high school."

"Those I deserved."

Joe was silent after the words left Barry's life, and he knew in an instant that his boy was blaming himself. Joe moved to place a comforting hand on Barry's shoulder, but the sour mood had already settled in, and Barry grasped his case tightly in his hand.

"I'll let you know what I find, all right."

"All right," Joe said, letting it go.

* * *

"Did you speak to him about it?" Joe asked over the phone as he sat at his desk back at the CCPD.

"Yes, last night. I-I don't know if he's going to go. He's blaming himself for everything that happened you know," Sophia breathed out on the other side of the line.

"I know, I can tell. I asked him this morning and he was really defensive about it," Joe let out a sigh. "Regardless, we're all going to be there, so I'll see you there," Joe said, and Sophia told him that she would meet him there. He hung up a moment later, placing his phone back into his pocket before looking at the mountain of paperwork sitting on his desk. It seemed to be a never ending process.

"Joe, where are we at with the murder at the nuclear plant?" Captain Singh asked, walking into the room.

"Barry's still analysing the evidence, but there was definitely something weird," Joe said.

"Yeah, which is why I let you have that Anti-Meta-Human Task Force," Captain Singh pointed out. "Speaking of which, where's your scientific advisor?" He asked looking around.

" _Ho, ho, ho!"_ Cisco said, walking in as he spotted Captain Singh and his new beard. "Fear the beard!" When he received a glare from Singh, he let out a light chuckle before straightening up and giving him an apologetic look. "It's a very distinguished look… _Sir_."

"What is all this, Mr. Ramon?"

"Oh, this right here?" Cisco mused, pointing towards the metal contraption sitting on the desk he was given. "This is a little something I'm working on. I'm cooking it up for Joe and the task force to take down meta-humans," Cisco explained. "I think I'm going to call it _The Boot_."

"Not bad," Joe said. He was up for anything that would help them take down meta-humans, especially now that their only super powered friend was The Flash. They had all found out a few days ago that Sophia no longer had her powers. Barry had been the one to tell them, after she gave her permission of course, and they were all devastated to hear the news. He didn't say, why or how it had happened as she wanted to keep those details between herself and Barry, but they all knew that it would be a tough time for her and they were trying their very best to support her in any way they could.

"Oh, here are the receipts." The Captain let out a heavy sigh at Cisco's antics. "Oh, um, Captain, one more thing."

"You are not getting a badge, Mr. Ramon."

Joe let out a bout of laughter and Cisco huffed, crossing his arms before turning to look at Joe. "He's really stingy with those badges, isn't he?"

"Yeah, cops are funny that way," Joe laughed dryly. " _So_ , you really think you can get this to work? Don't have me caught out on the streets with my pants down."

"Yes, once I finish the Boot, CCPD will totally have what it needs to take down a meta-human. Especially now that Barry has decided to go all Lone Wolf McQuade and fight crime by himself, and the fact that Sophia doesn't even have powers anymore," Cisco remarked.

"I know, right? Have you spoken to him? I just spoke to Sophia earlier." Joe asked.

"Not really." If he was quite honest, the only one he had really spoken to was Sophia, and even then it wasn't that much considering she too was burying her head in work at the hospital, and the fact that she was on edge due to the loss of her powers. "Haven't even heard from Caitlin since she started work at Mercury Labs." This was a fact that made him sad. Not only had Caitlin left, she had basically thrown away all forms of contact with them.

"I think everyone's just trying to cope on their own, but I think that if we stick together, we'll come out stronger on the other side."

"Wise words, West," Cisco said.

"Tell me about it."

"Well, I'm going to finish working on this. We're meeting at the rally later I presume?" Cisco asked as he looked back to the device that needed a few more tweaks.

"Yeah, Sophia and Iris are coming."

* * *

Sophia had wheeled down one of her patients to get a CT scan and X-Ray done. Usually someone would come to pick them up and then bring them back when it was over, but the fourteen year old boy was insistent that Sophia come with him. His parents were at work, and he was by himself on the ward, and he didn't want to leave, at least not without a familiar face. Having been his nurse for the past week or so, the little boy named Alex trusted her, and he gave her puppy dog eyes that made her break. He had short blonde hair, and his pale blue eyes reminded her of Eddie and she couldn't bring herself to say anything other than yes.

She stood there for longer than necessary, waiting behind the protective glass as she watched the boy get his test done. There was an issue with the x-ray machines, the power suddenly seemed to be drained, and she was waiting for the tech's to reboot the system or at least troubleshoot the problem. But in the meanwhile, her thoughts were consumed with Eddie and his death. She had tried not to think about it too much, knowing that it wouldn't do anyone any good, but for some reason it had just hit her again, reminding her of the day she went to visit his grave.

She then spent the remainder of her shift, working like a zombie. Her body was going through all the motions and the movements, but her heart just wasn't in it. A fake smile was planted on her lips, but her eyes conveyed the sudden rush of sadness. She recognised the familiar feeling, having felt this way for a while after her mother had died and she tried to reassure herself that after a while it wouldn't hurt like this anymore. They would still miss Eddie, they would still cherish his memory, but they wouldn't feel the pain like this anymore.

She was suddenly brought back down to reality when her phone buzzed in her pocket just as she was leaving the hospital. She was sure she spotted someone standing near her car, but when she did a double take, she found that no one was there. She blinked, rubbing the side of her head with one hand, wondering if there was something wrong with her head.

"Sophia, are you here yet? The rally starts soon," Cisco asked through the line.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry. I'm on my way. I'll be there soon."

She grabbed her keys out of her bag and unlocked her car, dumping her bag in the front seat as she rested her head against her steering wheel for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts and emotions.

 _Breathe, everything's okay. You're going to go to the rally, you're going to support your boyfriend, and you're going to smile. You're going to have a good time. Nothing bad is going to happen._

It wasn't long til she was at the rally, and she looked in with surprised eyes as she noted how many people had come out to support The Flash. She knew that people looked to him with hope, but seeing the turnout was just amazing. Children, teenagers and adults alike of all ages were mixed in the crowd, some dressed up like The Flash, others wearing shirts in support, and some even holding up signs. Sophia let out a laugh when she saw a few teenage girls with a sign that said _Marry me Flash._ Balloons coloured red and yellow were distributed around the site, and there were big flags that had his name printed all over it hanging from the stands.

She knew that Barry would blush when he saw that one. It was actually designed quite nicely. But what got her was when she walked further into the crowd to see a little girl standing with her dad, dressed up like Sapphire, wearing a blue suit to mimic her own. Her lips twitched into a smile at the sight, and suddenly her attention was caught by the Mayor who started to speak. She decided that she would go and find the others later, but in the midst of the crowd she could spot Iris a few metres away, and she was sure that Cisco and Joe would be hanging towards the front with the CCPD crew.

"Good morning, Central City!" The crowd cheered and the Mayor smiled brightly. "A year ago, our world changed. Our city became ground zero for…some pretty weird stuff. We got a new breed of criminal. Men and women who defied not only our laws, but physics and reason. But we got something else too. We got two amazing heroes, one who sacrificed her life for the betterment of our city. Sapphire will always be remembered, but today we are here for someone else. Something else that our city was blessed with. We got the Flash! Our wounds run deep, and I know many of you are afraid of what threats tomorrow may bring. But the Flash doesn't just protect us, he restores hope where it was lost. That's why I'm honoured to present the key to the man who saved Central City: The Flash!" The Mayor announced, and the crowd waited in anticipation for The Flash to arrive. Sophia wondered if Barry was going to show up. He had made it clear that it wasn't on his list of priorities, but when the familiar rush of wind came a moment later, she could feel the smile forming on her lips as she spotted him running onto the stage, and turning to the crowd with a small wave.

The crowd cheered, and many started to chant _"Flash, Flash, Flash_!" in support. "The doors to Central City will forever be open for you, Flash."

Screams suddenly erupted from the crowd before Barry could take the key from the Mayor and he turned around to see a food vender being thrown in the air, now crashing in their direction. He turned quickly, to move the Mayor out of the way and to safety.

"Look out," Joe suddenly yelled from across the gathering. The crowd started to disperse as civilians let out screams of panic and terror as the attack continued. Sophia immediately pushed through the crowd, running towards Joe and Cisco who were standing by the parked cars, and Barry who was now facing down a man dressed in a black trench coat, with a thick dark iron mask covering his face.

"The man who saved Central City, hate to rain on your parade," The meta-human said with a gravelly voice, one that was hard to hear through the metal contraption that was practically glued to his face.

Sophia ran to stand by Cisco's, watching from the sidelines as Barry ran at the man in the mask.

"Oof," Barry groaned as his body landed harshly on the front of a stranger's car, smashing the glass of the windscreen as he collided with it harshly. Sophia had the urge to run forward and attack the Meta, but she knew that without her powers she wouldn't get far, and all she would do was become a liability. But that didn't stop her from running to Barry's side, and helping him slide down from the front of the car, supporting him as he struggled to stand. She could already imagine that bruises were forming, and by the look of pain on his face, the hit had taken a lot out of him.

The police officers surrounding the meta-human all brought up their guns, not hesitating to fire away, their bullets ricocheting off the man's body. The Meta stripped his jacket, letting the heavy black leather fall to the ground to reveal the vest that he wore, showing off his bulging muscles that emphasised his brute strength. He then moved forward, pushing the front of a police car with enough force to send it rolling back and crashing into the few officers that stood in his way.

"Cisco," Joe called out, snapping him out of whatever haze he was currently going through. What Joe didn't know was that Cisco was having a vision of sorts, something that had been reoccurring for him in the last few weeks. "Cisco! The boot!"

"Right," Cisco ran, grabbing his new device dubbed The Boot, throwing it over to Joe. "Locked and loaded, go!"

Joe took the weapon into his hands, positioning it in his arms with ease, aiming and then firing it at the Meta's legs. The metal attached to the Meta's foot, sending a current of electricity through his leg that was meant to subdue him, but all it did was make him angrier. The Meta looked down at the confinement and only grew his body larger in response, the boot clamp breaking off as his body moulded and shaped itself into something larger, and more giant like.

"You said this thing would take him down. He's not going down," Joe said as he watched on with worry, and Cisco with a look of confusion on his face. _It should have worked_ Cisco thought to himself. He had designed it specifically to act similarly to Sapphire's powers, in the way that the electrical surge of energy would momentarily shock the person.

Sophia watched on with wide eyes, her arms still around Barry to support him. With one look at the giant Meta with super strength that stood before them, Sophia knew that they needed a plan and quick.

"What are we going to do?" Barry grunted as he tried to stand up straight.

"Sonic boom probably won't work, judging by his size," Sophia said quickly, trying to think of something. "But something with enough force and power might just be enough to get him to back off until we can think of something better." Her eyes spotted two large canisters of gas sitting off in the corner. She pointed to them and Barry nodded before running to grab them, knowing exactly what to do next. With Barry gone, Sophia then ran over to Cisco, hiding from a safe distance as they looked on. She felt entirely helpless as she watched the scene take place, praying that it would at least be enough to deter the Meta.

"What are you doing?" Joe asked as he looked at Barry incuriously.

"I'm throwing, you're shooting," Barry said, lifting his arms up with all his strength as he threw the two large canisters of gas at the giant Meta, Joe firing a single bullet at each, the two exploding immediately. The blast was enough to send the Meta crashing back as Barry ran to shield Joe from the aftermath.

Barry grunted in pain, letting out an aggravated groan as he clutched his thigh, looking down to see a long metal piece of shrapnel buried deep into his leg. Barry looked back up in time to see the mask disappear momentarily off the Meta to reveal the face of one Al Rothstein, the same man they had found dead only that morning at the nuclear plant.

"That's Al Rothstein," Joe pointed at him, watching as he put his mask back on before fleeing the scene, leaving a dumbfounded Barry sitting on the floor next to him as they frowned in confusion. "The body we found at the nuclear plant, he's alive!"

* * *

Sophia was pacing the dusty halls of Star Labs alone as she waited for Barry to return. She had seen from a far that he had been injured and she was waiting for him to get back so she could sew him up. She knew that Caitlin was better at these things, but with her as a no show, it was left to her, not that she minded in any way.

When he came in with a rush of wind, he walked to the edge of the bed in the med-bay with a limp, pulling off the hood of his suit. She rushed in, putting on a set of gloves and grabbing the equipment she needed.

"Barry," She breathed out. "Quick, sit down."

"Augh," He grunted as he moved on the bed, trying to think about anything else than the metal currently jammed into his flesh.

"I'm going to pull the shrapnel out first, and then I need you to take your suit off so I can stitch it up okay," Sophia told him and he nodded, holding onto the side of the bed as she started to pull it out. She was quick and precise in her movements, and it was gone before he knew it, and he could already feel the pain ebbing away.

"Alright, sit up, easy," She instructed, helping him as best she could. Now standing on his leg he took the opportunity to use his speed to get the suit off, giving her better access to his leg. He was sitting on the bed now in a star labs shirt and his boxers, as she grabbed the sutures and needle, getting to work fast. Before she began anything, she opened the metal drawer next to the bedside, pulling out a pre-drawn dose of morphine, specifically for Barry. She hoped that the dose would be enough for him and that his sped up metabolism wouldn't eat it all in a few seconds. The injection was done so quickly that Barry honestly didn't even feel it. She cleaned the wound first, and then stitched it up, whispering apologies when she heard him grunt in pain, but it wasn't long before she was done, and she placed a dressing on top, securing it with a bit of tape. She knew that he would be healed in a few hours, but the sutures would keep the wound together and the bandage on top would prevent further bleeding, and a risk of infection.

"Thanks," He breathed out, leaning back against the pillows of the bed. He was exhausted after that encounter with the meta-human and she worried that.

"You scared me out there today," Sophia said with a gentle voice.

"Sorry," Barry mumbled under his breath.

"You don't need to apologise, that's not why I said that." Sophia took his hands in her own. "You can't keep this up on your own. With me out of commission, we need the team back together, otherwise things are just going to get harder from here on out," Sophia told him, her eyes darting across his face, waiting for his response.

"I don't need them. I can do this on my own," Barry said, avoiding her gaze, knowing the second he looked into her eyes his anger would melt away, and so would his resolve.

"I never felt more helpless watching you out there today, knowing that I had nothing in my power to help you," Sophia said, holding back her tears. "I can't help you anymore, not like I could before, and certainly not without the team."

"It's not like they want to come back," Barry said, his thoughts flashing to Caitlin specifically. "I wouldn't blame them."

"Barry, what happened, it's not your fault," She said, reaching out to take his hand in her own when he flinched, moving it away.

"That's the thing, _it is my fault_ ," Barry yelled out with more emotion than he had expected. "It's my fault that Eddie died that day, it's my fault that Ronnie died that day, it's my fault that you almost died that day, it's my fault you got sent to another earth and that to return home you had to give up _your_ powers like you hadn't sacrificed enough already, and if I want to stop hurting people then there can't be a _team_ anymore, don't you get that?!"

Sophia watched him with widened eyes, not expecting to hear that come out of his mouth. For months he had been burying it deep inside and it seemed to just bubble over and explode.

"I made that choice. We all had a choice that day and _we_ made it, not you," She told him as he got up off the bed.

"It doesn't change the fact that I thought you were dead for three months, that I thought I was the cause of your death. You're better off without me, all of you are safer without me," Barry said, and the panic started to rise in her chest. She gulped, taking a small step forward in an attempt to move closer to him, but he leaned back, making it clear he didn't want her close to him.

"What are you trying to say?" She asked, not sure if she wanted to hear his response.

"I'm trying to say that I'm dangerous."

"You don't really believe that do you?" She asked incredulously.

"I-I don't know. I just, I can't do this right now," Barry said.

"Bar." She moved forward to touch his shoulder when he ran out of the room, leaving a rush of wind in his place. She stared at the empty spot and let out a heavy sigh, trying not to cry. She knew that he was still struggling with everything, but she hadn't thought that it was this bad, and it made her feel terrible for not seeing it before. She was too preoccupied in her own world of drama and pain to see that he was suffering just as much as she was, if not more.

In a bout of frustration, she kicked the side of the metal trolley she had been using when she stitched Barry up, sending it crashing to the floor, the sound of glass smashing on the floor breaking her out of her anger.

"Shit."

* * *

"So this is what it looks like inside Mercury Labs," Cisco said aloud, startling Caitlin who was sitting at her desk, looking through her microscope. "Security here is way better than it was at Star Labs, what with people walking in and out of the Cortex all of the time," He joked.

Cisco had decided that it was time for the team to get back together. He was sick and tired of being isolated and alone, and he couldn't watch Barry run solo anymore. He had gone to Star Labs to confront Barry after speaking with Joe only to find Sophia kneeling on the ground and picking up broken pieces of glass, with a void expression written on her face. She had then recounted what had just happened between herself and Barry. Cisco never felt guiltier in his life. Whilst Sophia had been missing, and thought dead, he was still here. He should have been there for Barry, but he wasn't. He let Barry push him away and it had now resulted in this. He knew that he had to do something, and the first thing to do was to get Caitlin back on board, and he knew just how to do that.

"Hi Cisco," Caitlin greeted, standing up and straightening out her white lab coat.

" _Sweet Sarek_. Is that a 6K proton splicer?" Cisco asked, completely ignoring her greeting as he moved to look at the impressive piece of technology with wide eyes.

"Yes, it is," Caitlin said proudly. "Dr. McGee insists on having all the latest technology."

"Wow," He breathed out, turning to look at her. "You deserve it," He said. Of all people, she deserved to find a slice of happiness after Ronnie was ripped from her life once again. "I spotted you at the rally today, and I'm guessing you saw what happened."

"Cisco, I can't come back," Caitlin said, shaking her head. She had watched the scene take place from a safe distance, and she hoped that Barry would figure out a way to take down the Meta-human, because she knew that she wouldn't be going back to Star Labs. She needed to leave that life behind otherwise she feared she would never recover.

"Okay, check this out. We found this on a victim at the nuclear power plant, but the badge shows absolutely nothing at all, which is so weird. What's also weird is that at the same time the meat-human grew, all the X-Ray machines within a mile radius just went belly-up." He pulled out the badge that was in a clear evidence bag and handed it over to Caitlin.

"Cisco," Caitlin whined, knowing where this would be heading.

"Just…if you could just see if the badge was tampered with or something. I mean, if it's broken, or…whatever. It'll really help," Cisco pleaded, looking to Caitlin with puppy dog eyes and in a second flat she let out a heavy sigh, nodding her head and trying not to roll her eyes when he let out a victorious whoop of laughter.

Barry was hunched over his desk at the CCPD, a pen in hand as he tried to maintain focus and complete the reports that were piling up on his desk, but his thoughts were occupied by a brunette with a heart too big for her own good. Since their fight the previous day, he hadn't been back to their shared apartment. He felt ashamed at his outburst and he had spent the night at Joe's in his old room, needing the space to think. He knew that he needed to apologise, but he could feel himself putting it off, not because he didn't want to do it, but because he was afraid of what she would say. He let out a hearty sigh, rubbing his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He had been experiencing a lot of self-doubt lately and he wasn't sure what to do about that, and the arrival of a new meta-human just made it grow and fester.

"Mr. Allen?" A voice asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. He turned his head to see a man standing at the entrance of his lab, wearing a dark suit and carrying a briefcase. "Barry Allen?"

"Yeah."

"I'm Greg Turk," The man introduced with a smile, pulling out a piece of paper from his briefcase. "I'm an attorney at Weathersby and Stone. I don't usually make house calls, but I've been trying to get in touch with you for several months."

"Yes. Yeah, I'm sorry about that," Barry said. "I've just, um… I've been really busy with police work, and personal issues." Barry's apology was flimsy and he knew it.

"We need to talk about Star Labs," Greg said and Barry gave him a firm nod. "As you know, Harrison Wells left the property to you as a part of his living trust."

"Yeah, which I did not ask him to do, but I've been keeping the place up."

"Well, it's going to take more than cleaning the floors to retain it, I'm afraid. The facility and the real estate are scheduled to go into receivership at the end of this week _unless_ … you watch this," Greg said, handing over a USB drive to Barry.

"What is this?" Barry asked, looking at the black drive.

"A video message drafted by Dr. Wells."

"What's on it? Have you seen it?" Barry's question was urgent as the words rushed out of his mouth.

"No. He was very specific. It was only to be watched by you. The device will send me a notification after you've viewed it. At that point, I'll have everything read to execute," Greg instructed.

"I'm not going to watch that."

"Well, that's up to you, Mr. Allen. I'm only here to represent Harrison Wells final request. Good day." And with that Greg Tucker walked out of the room, leaving Barry alone with his thoughts as he stared at the thumb drive he threw onto the table, having no intention of viewing anything that Wells had recorded for him.

A sudden beeping, alerting him that someone was in Star Labs had him running over there in a second flat. He was sure the look of surprise on his face was evident when he spotted who the culprits were. Sitting in the middle of the cortex was Stein and Cisco. Iris was lounging by the side, sitting on a chair with her mobile pressed to her ear, and Sophia was standing by the front of the room with a relaxed expression and her arms lazily crossed over her chest, noting that she had changed out of her scrubs and into something casual.

"What are you guys doing here?" Barry asked in an almost strained voice, trying not to make eye contact with Sophia.

"Working," Iris responded simply, hanging up her call.

"So, Caitlin was right!" Cisco said.

"Yes, all humans contain small amounts of radiation due to contact with cell phones, microwaves, televisions, et cetera. Our bodies are natural conductors. I think our meta's been sucking up all the radiation around him and using it to power himself, which is why the x-ray machines at the hospital failed the day of the rally," Stein explained.

"So if we want to find him, we gotta look for places without radiation," Cisco said, humming as he moved, typing away at his computer as he did a quick scan of the city using Star Labs satellites to find locations where radiation would normally be, but were now empty of it.

"All right, guys, I don't want any of you here right now." As soon as the words came out of his mouth he knew he regretted them.

"Tough," Sophia spoke up, walking towards him. She hadn't seen him since yesterday, and though she was thoroughly pissed, she wasn't actually angry at all. If that made any sense. She was upset at what had happened, but all that was left after those emotions had ebbed away was empathy. "You need your partners. You need your friends, you need us." The unspoken _You need me,_ hung in the air and Barry just stared at her with sad eyes.

"Barry, everyone in this room cares about you, but we also care about this city," Iris said. "We all want to make a difference, and that means fighting meta-humans and that means working with the Flash."

"You can't deny us that, not anymore," Sophia said.

"Got him."

"There's a three block dead zone near a hazardous waste reclamation plant. It should be blooming with rads, and right now it's at zero."

"That's where you'll find your atom smasher," Stein said quite proudly, letting out a hearty chuckle. "Because he absorbs atomic power, and he, well smashes."

"That's a great name. Welcome to the team," Cisco said with a bright smile.

"Thank you," Stein said.

"Great, guys, _thank you_. You can go now, all right?" He didn't want to see them get hurt, and so he resorted to the only thing he knew how to do. Pushing people away.

"Barry can you please calm down for a second, and let us help you. That's all we want to do," Sophia said in a soft voice, placing her hand on his arm, trying not to let her heartbreak show when he pulled away from her touch. She didn't know what to do anymore. She had made it clear that she wanted to help, that she didn't blame him, but he still pulled away.

"Barry, you need to let Cisco and Stein figure out a way to stop this guy," Iris pleaded.

"No, _I don't_."

And in a flash, he was gone.

"Barry left his comm. system behind. We can't talk to him. He's on his own."

Sophia let out a sigh of frustration, pinching the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes. _Why is he so god damn stubborn?!_

"Is there really no way of knowing what's going on in there?" Stein asked as he looked over, seeing the distress that Sophia was in. He knew that a relationship at its very basics was complex and full of challenges, but throw meta-humans on top, and their line of work, and it was a recipe for disaster.

"I'm looking for the security cameras," Cisco said, his fingers flying against the keyboard. "Booyah."

The camera feed came up on the screen and Sophia moved closer to get a better look. Taking down basic criminals without powers was one thing, but going against Meta-humans was virtually impossible, and she had to keep reminding herself of that because every second this dragged on, she had the urge to throw on her suit and run into the line of fire.

She felt her heart lurch into her throat as she watched Barry being choked by the Atom-Smasher.

" _Shit_ ," She cursed, turning to Cisco. "Do we still have the motorbike down in the garage?"

"Yes, but even at your highest speed you won't make it there in time, and what are you gonna do without your powers?" Cisco asked.

"I don't know," She breathed out. "But I just can't let him die," She yelled in frustration. "The Boot, what about the Boot?"

"The boot didn't work on him."

"Alarm!" Stein suddenly shouted.

"Believe me, we're all alarmed," Iris said.

"No, the alarm system. You've tapped into the surveillance cameras, correct?" Stein asked.

"Come on, feel the noise," Cisco turned up the dial, and the alarm system in the plant blared at a ridiculous frequency, more than enough to get Atom-Smasher to back off, leaving Barry slumped on the ground as he caught his breath, running out of there just in time and back to Star Labs where he tumbled into the cortex.

Sophia caught Barry in her arms just in time before he collapsed into unconsciousness.

"Professor Stein, you are a genius."

"I believe that's already been well established."

Cisco grabbed Barry underneath his shoulders, and Sophia took his feet, and they moved him over to the bed, laying him down carefully. She pulled the mask of his face, as well as his gloves, Cisco aiding her and Iris watching and helping out when she could. She had Caitlin on the phone, helping her as she made sure that Barry was okay.

He had a few small bruises that were starting to turn purple on the right side of his face. Other than that, and the red marks around his neck, he was going to be okay. She hooked up an IV drip to keep him hydrated, and she added another special bag of glucose that Caitlin had developed just for Barry, to make sure that his blood sugar levels wouldn't drop.

Sophia told Cisco and Iris that they could go as she finished up checking his rate of breathing. She just wanted to make sure that everything was fine, and so she was double checking his results when Joe walked into the room. When he looked at her with a sympathetic expression, placing his hand on hers, she just cracked. All that fear and all her worries for Barry since had spoken to her the previous day came rushing out and she cried, weeping into Joe's chest as he held her.

"He's going to be alright," Sophia said, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand. "But it was too close today Joe. H-He nearly didn't make it," Sophia said looking up at the older West. "Please, talk to him, I-I tried, but every time he looks at me, all he sees is failure. He thinks that he failed me, failed to keep me safe, to protect me, but he didn't."

"I'll take care of him, like I always have. Don't worry. Why don't you go home, and get some rest sweetheart. You look worn out. Iris can take you," Joe suggested and with a weak nod, she agreed. Joe enveloped her in a hug before she walked over to Barry, placing her hand on his cheek, and a soft kiss on his forehead.

"I'll let you know when he wakes up."

"Thanks, Joe."

And as Sophia walked out of the room, Joe took a seat by Barry's bedside, leaning his head in his hand as he sat, enduring the familiar wait for Barry to wake up.

* * *

"You're good, I got you," Joe said, holding Barry's arm as he gasped, trying to sit up. It took Barry a moment to gather his bearings, but when he did, he looked around to see that Star Labs was empty, save him and Joe.

"Where is everyone?" Barry asked. The last thing he remembered was being choked to death by Atom-Smasher.

"I figured you wouldn't want an audience when you came to," Joe said. After Iris had gone to drop a distressed and stressed Sophia back home, he had told Cisco and Stein that they should go as well.

"Yeah, thanks," Barry scoffed lightly. He knew that he had screwed up, but he wasn't sure what to do about it. He could feel the tears of frustration building up and all he wanted to do was have a break. A break from meta-humans, a break from heartache, a break from it all.

"Sophia was right, and so was Iris. You're not going to do this anymore," Joe said sternly. "For the last six months I've given you your space to work this all out," Joe gestured with this hands, "come back to us. But today proved that you'd rather just get yourself killed."

"It's better than getting my friends killed," Barry chuckled darkly.

"You want me to tell you that it wasn't your fault? I can't. It was. Guess what? You weren't the only person making decisions that day. All of the rest of us were there too," Joe pointed out. "Eddie…and Ronnie and Sophia, they chose to help you stop Wells, and stop that…"

"Singularity," Barry filled in the gap.

"Singularity thing. It's on all of us, Barry. So stop with this hogging all the blame and regret. We gotta live with it. Move on."

"What do I do now?" Barry asked, a tear escaping his eye, wiping it away quickly with the back of his hand.

"Well, I know that you've been rebuilding Central City at night. It's just bricks and paint. Maybe you should start trying to rebuild things that really matter."

* * *

After Iris had dropped her home, she had curled up on her couch, too exhausted to make her way to _their_ bedroom. She lay there for a while, trying to fall asleep, but her mind was racing and she couldn't find a moment of peace. It must have been only an hour when she heard the front door being unlocked, and she knew that Barry was home.

She jumped from her seat on the couch, turning towards the door to see him walk in, now dressed in his jean and plaid shirt combo from earlier. She didn't care that they had argued, or that he was trying to push her away, she ran forward and pulled him into a tight hug, wrapping her arms around his neck as she buried her face into his chest. His hands came onto her waist automatically, and he held her in his warm embrace.

"I'm sorry," Barry whispered into her hair. "I think somewhere inside I still feel like you're gone. Like I lost you, and I thought that by pushing you all away, you'd all be safe, that no one else would die," Barry told her.

"But you nearly died today because of that. I-I know what happened that day shouldn't have, but we all had a choice to make, and now we have to stick by it. But we don't have to be alone, _you_ don't have to be alone," She said, looking up at him.

"I know that now, and I'm sorry for pushing you away, for everything. You went through what I did and even more, and you didn't deserve any of what I said or did."

"I'm not angry with you Barry, and I forgive you. I love you too much to do anything else," Sophia said, admiration brimming in her eyes as she gazed upon his face. She was glad to see that the small bruises that had been there when she treated him, were now fading away.

"God I love you," Barry breathed out, leaning down and kissing her. She expected it would be slow and soft like their usual kisses, but again he surprised her. It was desperate and passionate enough to make her toes curl. She felt breathless and weightless all at the same time as she ran her fingers through his hair, bringing him closer to her as their lips continued to meld against each other. Barry let out a gasp as Sophia bit down on his lip, breaking away as he ran his tongue over his bottom lip, feeling the mark she had left.

"What was that for?" Barry shrieked. _He shrieked_ and she laughed, and he swore that the sound of her laughter was the sweetest thing that had ever touched his ears.

"Maybe I was a little bit angry," Sophia said, a light pink flushing her cheeks. "Still want to kiss this loser?" She teased, and he knew that everything between them had clicked again.

"Til the day I die."

* * *

Barry had gone back to his lab, promising Sophia that he would be back home later tonight. She grasped the collar of his shirt and pulled him down for one last heated kiss before sending him on his way with a smile.

He felt immensely better knowing that he was on the road to recovery, that he was starting to rebuild the relationships that were left scattered in the dust after the singularity hit. He just needed to speak with Caitlin.

Speaking of Caitlin, she had just walked into the room.

"What are you doing here?" Barry asked, surprised to see her.

"Sorry, I should've called or something. I just… I wanted to see you."

"Yeah, Cisco said that he saw you at the Flash Day celebration. I was surprised. You better than anyone, know I wasn't the hero that day," Barry said.

"Of course you were."

"No. Ronnie died saving me, and I should've saved him, and I'm… _I'm so sorry_."

"Barry, I know that you did everything you could. It wasn't your fault. I don't blame you for Ronnie's death. I blame myself," Caitlin admitted.

"Why?" Barry asked.

"When Ronnie first became Firestorm, he asked me to leave Central City, and go somewhere that we could have a normal life…and I said no. I couldn't leave Star Labs, Dr. Wells…you. If I had gone with him, Ronnie would still be alive," Caitlin said, keeping her composure. "Being at Star Labs just made me think of that every single day," She said, and this time a stray tear escaped her eye.

"Here," Barry said, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket and handing it to Caitlin.

"Oh, you carry a handkerchief now?" Caitlin asked teasingly. "I didn't know Sophia was in love with an 80 year old."

Barry rolled his eyes and leaned his arm on the table, accidentally knocking a pile of papers that nudged the USB drive he had carelessly thrown onto his table onto the floor. Caitlin moved to pick it up.

"What is this?"

"Ah, it's uh…" Barry frowned not sure how to word it. "Apparently, in the case of his death, Wells had some king of a living will."

"And you haven't watched it yet?" Caitlin asked with a raised brow.

"No. No, I've been too afraid."

"What if we watched it together?" She suggested.

"All right."

And what they saw next, was truly indescribable. At first feelings of resentment and anger presented themselves, but as the video went on, both were left with wide eyes and slack jaws, not believing their eyes or ears.

"Did he just-"

"He did."

" _This is it_! This is what I need to free my dad," Barry let out a laugh, tears escaping his eyes. "Oh my god."

Barry and Caitlin didn't waste any time in heading back to Star Labs, making sure to call everyone there to meet them. Barry ran in to see Joe and Sophia with worried expressions, but at the sight of the grin on his face they seemed to dissipate quickly.

"What's up?"

Barry didn't waste a second in recounting the tale with Caitlin, telling them exactly what had been on the video. A confession, a full confession by Wells that he had been the one to murder Nora Allen, and that Henry Allen was innocent on all accounts. Sophia couldn't believe it, and neither could Joe. They all somehow ended up in a giant group hug, and Joe went to watch the video again with Barry, ready to get on the phone with Cecile, and organise the process to release Henry from prison.

Barry paced the halls nervously, and Sophia grabbed his hand, and he stopped in place. She gave him a small smile, and inclined her head towards Joe who was just rounding the corner.

"What's she saying?"

"Hold on." Joe held up a hand before hanging up. "Wells gave all the right details. It's not a done deal yet, but the D.A. says it looks good."

"Henry's coming home?" Barry asked with hopeful eyes and Joe nodded with a grin.

"Yes." Barry pulled Joe into another tight hug, bringing Sophia with him, and she giggled.

"Well that still leaves Atom Smasher to deal with," Barry said as they moved apart.

"Last time you faced him, it did not go well," Joe said and Sophia coughed _damn right_ and though Barry caught onto it, he just smiled at her teasing.

"I clearly can't stop him by myself," Barry said, walking into the cortex, and the team was there, everyone standing around and waiting.

"So how are we gonna beat him?" Cisco asked.

"Well, ever since I was shown a drained radiation tag, which I haven't been able to stop thinking about," Caitlin started, giving Cisco a pointed look. "Thank you Cisco."

"You're welcome, Caitlin."

"If this guy likes radiation so much, I say we give it to him."

The plan was simple. Supercharge one specific area, able to hold enough radiation, to draw Atom-Smasher there, and once lured into the nuclear plant, unleash the radiation to overload his senses, and his ability to keep it contained, and thus, no more Atom-Smasher.

"Showtime," Barry said, suited up and ready to go. "A kiss for good luck?" Sophia scoffed at his playful antics, but satisfied him as she moved forward and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

"There will be more to come when you return home, Mr. Flash," Sophia said with a grin and Cisco fake gagged in the background causing Iris and Caitlin to giggle. She usually wouldn't be so cheesy but after the great news about Henry and the fact that they were working together as a team again she could care less.

"Go!"

And with that Barry ran towards the site of the lure. Sophia watched from the computer screen in anticipation, the camera feed playing on a live loop. Barry taunted Atom-Smasher who took the bait with ease, running after Barry who was going quite slowly on purpose so that he could keep up as he dragged him to the chamber they were hoping Rothstein would be in soon. It was a terrifying sight to witness as Atom-Smasher grew in size, stomping towards Barry like a giant on the loose.

"It's working dude. Rothstein's following you," Cisco said proudly.

"I must say, he's quite agile for a man his size."

"Run, Barry, Run."

"Come on, you can do this," Sophia encouraged through the comm.

A moment later, Rothstein gained on Barry, grabbing him by the back of his neck and squeezing painfully. Barry yelped in pain, and yelled.

"Now, Cisco!" Barry broke free of his grasp, running just outside the chamber, jamming his hand down on the panel and locking Atom-Smasher in the chamber, an alarm blaring as the system went into lockdown. Cisco didn't waste a second in pressing the button, releasing the radiation in a single burst.

"The amount of radiation about to flood that room…"

"Atom Smasher won't be able to absorb it all," Stein finished Caitlin's sentence.

They all waited a moment in silence, all on the edge of their seats, eager to see the result and the downfall of Atom-Smasher. His body crumpled, the bones shrinking to a smaller size painfully, his face practically melting as the radiation over powered him.

"The radiation's been cleared," Caitlin said. "It's safe for you to go in."

"I'm sorry," Barry said to Al. "I couldn't let you hurt anyone else." Atom-Smasher just groaned in response, his face mangled as he took what could be one of his last breaths. His body was shutting down.

"Why? Why did you want to kill me?" Barry asked, leaning down on one knee next to Al.

"He promised he'd take me home…if I killed you," Al managed to get out in-between gasps.

"Who? Who promised you that?" The anticipation was killing Sophia as they watched the body in front of them. Whoever this was, whoever wanted him to kill Barry would be a new threat for them.

" _Zoom."_

* * *

It was the dawn of a new day and Barry had a bounce in his step that he had missed for a very long time. His father was getting released from prison today. After spending over a decade in there for a crime he didn't commit, justice was finally being served.

Barry stood by the gate, his hands tucked into the light brown jacket he was wearing, his hair windswept as he waited, looking like quite the model as he did so. At least in Sophia's opinion. She had originally planned to wait at the West household, and aid in setting up the little welcome home party they had planned for him, but Barry had been too nervous to go on his own and insisted that she come with him. So of course when he had asked her so sweetly and it those puppy dog eyes, she couldn't say no.

Henry was escorted to the gate, now dressed in a pair of clothes that Barry had dropped off for him earlier. Henry gave them both a grin as the gate buzzed, allowing him to walk free. The first few steps he took outside the gate brought him relief, and soon he could feel the joy seeping through.

"Let's get out of here," Barry said with a smile, embracing his father in a tight hug.

"I'll race you," Henry joked, sending Sophia a wink as they laughed, moving to them embrace her in a hug as well.

"You will lose."

The drive home was quick, and though they didn't share a lot of words, everyone could feel the happiness in the air.

"Welcome home!" Everyone cheered as Henry walked into the West household. Standing around with glasses of champagne, and food was the team, their friends and most importantly their family. Iris had set up the whole thing with Joe. Caitlin and Cisco had brought some food on their way over, and of all people, Stein had been the one to supply the fancy booze.

They all took this as an opportunity to relax, most of them branching out into smaller groups and enjoying the company and the wine. Sophia spotted Barry on the other side of the house, chatting with Henry. She was glad that he had some time alone with his father after all this time. But she noted that his expression was a bit sad. There was a drop in the smile that had been plastered there all morning, and she wondered if what they were discussing was the cause.

She found out later when Barry told them to meet him at Star Labs that Henry was planning on leaving town for a little bit. Sophia gave Barry a kiss on the cheek, and promised they would talk about it when they went home. She could imagine he wasn't feeling the greatest after that, but she knew that he was at least glad that his father was out of prison.

That's how Sophia found herself snacking on a fruit smoothie she made Cisco pick up on the way back to Star Labs. It felt weird commuting via a car there rather than flying, but she knew that over time she would get used to it, or at least she hoped that was the case.

"Your dad get off okay?" Cisco asked Barry, causing Sophia to turn around in her chair as she saw Barry enter the room. "You good?"

"I don't know, I… Just feels like every time I win, I still loose."

"Well…It's not bad." Sophia smiled at their interaction, glad that Cisco was there for Barry. He was a true friend, and she was sure that Barry saw Cisco like a brother.

"No, it's not bad."

"Hey, guess what?" Cisco announced. "I added a little upgrade to your suit," Cisco said and Sophia jumped up, moving to walk by Barry's side as they moved over to the manikin in the glass that held the new suit.

Sophia made a little noise of appreciation when she saw it. The new suit was just like the one the Future Barry had worn, the one they had seen in the article.

"It's just like the one from the future newspaper Gideon showed us," Cisco said. "I was thinking, you know, you shouldn't fear the future anymore, right?"

"No, and it'll be here faster than we think."

"Well, see, I like it. The lightning definitely pops more against the white," Cisco laughed. "And Star Labs is now safer than ever. Increased security and surveillance. Re-coded, double firewalled, electronic lock sets. Nothing is getting through here without us knowing," Cisco boasted proudly.

"So people can't just waltz in and out of here?" Sophia asked.

"Exactly."

Not even a second later, a man with blond hair and a tall figure stepped into the room through the entrance of the cortex, holding his hands up in surrender. No alarm, nothing had gone off and they were all standing there vigilant and on standby.

Iris let out a gasp and Joe pulled her behind him, whipping out his gun and pointing it at the intruder. Barry had done the same, moving Sophia behind him as he stood in the middle of the cortex, watching the man with careful eyes.

"For real?" Cisco was not having this.

"Stay where you are!" Joe yelled out a warning.

"Who are you?" Barry asked, narrowing his eyes at the man.

"You don't know me, but I know you… _Barry Allen_."

"Take one more step, it'll be the last step you take," Joe shouted at the man who stopped moving forward.

"The man asked you a question, who the hell are you?"

"My name is Jay Garrick, and your world is in danger," The blond said, and it was silent for a moment before chaos erupted.

* * *

 **A / N –**

The very first episode done! Extra long update since you've waited over 2 weeks for a new chapters. I've been so busy and stressed, so they won't be reduced to weekly updates for a while, sorry guys.

Thanks for all the new follows/favourites/reviews.

 **Now, this is a very important issue**. I have decided to leave out names as to not cause trouble, but a fellow author on has received hate on her story, the guest reviewer comparing her story to mine. That is uncalled for guest reviewer. If you don't like someone else's work, and prefer others over theirs, then that is fine, but do not voice such negative thoughts to the author, it really is not nice at all, and it puts them down. I've received similar reviews in the past and as a writer, and a human being, it hurts a lot, so please, please whoever it was, don't do it again. You aren't being forced to read their work, so if you don't like it then don't read it. If you want to leave feedback, then go for it, but don't be aggressive or mean, no one deserves to be bullied. So please, be kind to each other, and as the saying goes, if you have nothing nice to say, then don't say anything at all. **Please, no hate. Sending positive vibes to you all.**

 **Replies:**

Mrs. Allen-Queen: Thank you so much again for your reviews. Always looking forward to them. Hope you enjoyed this super long update!

RHatch89: Thanks! Hope you enjoy this update.

Purplemonkey36: A bit more drama this chapter but they're getting there! Hope you liked this chapter. I tried to include some fluff in here amongst all of the angst.

xXAlyaIsMyBaeXx: YAY. So glad that you enjoyed that chapter. It was hard to write. YES. This one doesn't go into too much depth about the other's reaction, but it does reach into Barry's feelings, and how helpless she feels not being able to help him. Thanks for the review.

Turtlekier42: Hope you liked this chapter, there was a bit of angst but I wanted to get it over and done with now so we can all move onto happier times. Thanks for the review.

Guest: Thank you! I love writing fluff, it's great… I also love writing angst too as you all probably know. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

CatLady101: I love updating as well! Sorry this took a while. Hope you love it.

Immortalman18: YEAH GO TEAM FLASH. I'm really happy they are all moving on now and getting back together, it was super depressing to have them all apart for so long.

Panda-Chan8: I KNOW RIGHT. Cisco is amazing, and underappreciated. I love him so much. Thanks for the review! Hope you liked this chapter.

Til next time guys. Don't forget to leave a review! Xx

Heroherondale.


	5. The Flash of Two Worlds

CHAPTER FIVE

The weight of Jay's words were starting to sink in, the atmosphere tense as the stand-off continued. Sophia was standing behind Barry, but she still had a good view of the tall man standing at the front.

"Please, just let me explain," Jay said as he held his hand up in the air, his leather jacket riding up against his skin. "I mean you no harm." They had been at this for a good ten minutes by this point, and his arms were starting to go numb from holding them up.

"How do you know my name?" Barry asked, taking a step forward. He had never seen this guy in his life, so how did he know him, and more importantly why was he here in Star Labs.

"I know all your names. Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramon, Sophia Lang, and Detective Joe West…"

"Enough," Joe said. "That part about explaining needs to happen right about now."

"This world is in danger," Jay proclaimed.

"What other worlds are there?"

"When you created the singularity above Central City, you also created a breach between my world and yours," Jay explained.

" _I'm sorry_ , a breach?" Cisco was the one to speak this time.

"Yes, a portal connecting our two earths," Jay clarified.

"That's how I was transported to another earth, but on that earth the portal was closed, it didn't exist anymore, I had to create a new one to get back and it was only open for a brief moment," Sophia spoke up.

"And what precisely is your concern?"

"A few days ago, you found a dead man named Al Rothstein at the nuclear plant. But then a different Al Rothstein tried to kill you," Jay said.

"Atom-Smasher."

"That man was from my world," Jay told them. "If he got through the breach, I suspect there'll be more to follow.

"Okay, so Jay, how exactly do you know all of this?" Barry asked.

"Where I came from, I was a speedster like you. They called _me_ The Flash," Jay said and with that Sophia's jaw dropped. "Before I arrived on your earth, I was in a fight with a man named Zoom."

"Zoom?"

"I've heard that name before."

"Didn't Atom-Smasher say that Zoom sent him here to kill you?" Sophia asked turning to Barry who nodded in response.

"Who is this guy?" Cisco asked.

"He's a speedster, like you and me. And fast. Maybe the fastest of all. But evil. He is an unstoppable demon with the face of death," Jay said, moving to the recount his story. He had relaxed a bit, bringing his arms down when Joe didn't say anything. "We were engaged in our fiercest battle ever, racing throughout my city. But I wasn't fast enough to stop him. Zoom had be beaten. He was just about to kill me when suddenly there was a blinding light and the sky split open. A breach between my world and yours caused from the singularity. It pulled me in and somehow I ended up in your world, powerless and unable to return home."

As Jay recounted his story, Sophia caught Caitlin staring at him, and sent her a weird look. She couldn't tell what that expression on her face meant, but it looked like Caitlin was checking Jay out as he spoke. If it had been under other circumstances, Sophia was sure that she would have laughed and maybe sent over a suggestive wink at Caitlin, but she kept those thoughts to herself before focusing back on the conversation at hand.

"What do you mean?"

"I lost my speed," Jay said, a look of sadness on his face that Sophia could empathise with. She knew what it felt like to be powerless.

"How?"

"Not entirely sure," Jay said.

"The same thing happened to me when I came back through the portal," Sophia said. "Maybe it's a side-effect of travelling through it?"

"But then wouldn't Al have lost his powers when he travelled through?" Cisco asked, and Sophia realised how dumb her original statement had been. She frowned, and shrugged her shoulders.

"I have no idea, just throwing suggestions out there, Cisco," She said back with a snarky tone. She bit her tongue as they turned their attention back to Jay. She didn't like the feeling she got when she looked at him. She didn't know what it was but there was something unsettling about him, and she just chocked it up to the fact that he had creeped into Star Labs without them knowing, catching them off guard. He looked like he was a good person, at least that's the way he presented himself.

"So you've been in Central City for six months," Barry said and Jay nodded.

"Why haven't you come to see us before?" Joe asked. There was something suspicious about this all, and he wasn't too trusting these days, especially after what happened with Eobard.

"I'm in a foreign world here, Detective. I didn't know who you all were. Took me that long to piece it all together."

"So that's how you know our names. You've been following us," Cisco said.

Sophia felt a shiver travel up her spine and she wondered if Jay had been the one following her around, the one she had seen in the corner of her eye. But then she realised, if it had been him, how did he disappear so quickly if he didn't have his powers. Regardless if it had been him or not, he had still followed them around and it made her feel squeamish, especially when she recalled how Eobard had watched them for months. She felt violated.

"Look, I know how this sounds. This existence of another earth, you, another Flash, it all came as an unexpected shock to me too. I just wish there was something I could do to convince you."

"There is," Barry said, his tone almost malicious as he continued. "We're gonna do some tests on you. See if you're telling us the truth. Cause if you're not, this Zoom, he's not gonna be your only enemy."

* * *

"So, Mr. Garrick, how long have you been The Flash on your world?" Caitlin asked, as she took his blood pressure. Sophia had offered to take over the tests, but Barry had shook his head, not wanting Sophia there at all, which had then set her off and she left the room in an angry fashion.

It was a painful sight to witness as the two argued, and even though Caitlin knew they had made up, things were still rocky without her powers. Sophia wanted to help in any way she could, like she had done before she activated her Meta-Human gene, but after losing her once, Barry had grown too over protective. Plus with the added fact that this stranger had turned up out of nowhere, he didn't want Sophia there. So that left Caitlin with the pleasure of carrying out the tasks, with Barry hovering behind her, watching Jay with razor sharp eyes from the room over, looking through the glass.

"Not long enough to call me Mister," Jay laughed politely. "Please, it's Jay."

"Jay, of course," Caitlin said with a smile. He was tall, polite and cute, he was already in her good books.

"On my world, I've been The Flash for about two years," Jay told her, holding his arm out in front of him as she rolled up his sleeve to take a sample of his blood.

"And how did you get your speed?" Caitlin asked, her eyes focused on finding the vein in his arm, nicking him with the needle a second later, and taking three vials worth of his blood for tests. She figured three would be sufficient enough to run tests, and if they needed more she would just take it, knowing that Barry didn't have any plans of letting Jay go until they sorted this all out.

"Not really sure. I was at my lab trying to purify heavy water without any residual radiation when there was a blinding light. I fell into a coma. When I woke up, I could run almost as fast as the speed of light," Jay recounted, an almost dreamy look on his face when he spoke of his speed. There was no other feeling like it, and he missed having the ability to run as fast as he could before.

"Sorry," Caitlin said. "Did you say lab? Are you a scientist?" _Don't say yes, please don't say yes._ Internally Caitlin was freaking out. This guy was perfect. Tall, handsome and intelligent, not to mention a hero complex. She had a type. She definitely had a type. And after six months of mourning for her husband, she gave herself this one moment to fret over the man sitting in front of her, not feeling guilty because she knew she would have more than enough time to do that later.

"Well, I certainly didn't work at a place like this, but, yeah. I had a respectable solo operation. Part-time chemist, part-time physicist, part-time superhero."

"Hmmm."

"I can forget that superhero part now, though, huh?" Jay said with a sad smile and Caitlin gave him a look of sympathy.

Their tests done, now awaiting the results meant that they moved into the cortex, and Caitlin was surprised to see that Sophia was back, and now sitting down on a chair next to Barry, their hands intertwined. Clearly in the hour she had spent gathering samples, he had made it back to her place in time to apologise and bring her back. Caitlin wore a happy smile, glad that they had at least sorted out whatever little lovers spat they had experienced that morning.

"Is any of this possible?" Joe voiced as they all discussed the issue of other Earths.

"I'm evidence of it. When I went through the singularity, I was stuck on another Earth for three months, but by the sound of it, it sounds like it was a different one to where Jay is from," Sophia said.

"Quite right, Miss Lang," Stein spoke up. "Just recently, the many-different-worlds theory proposed interaction with parallel universes was plausible. Now, if what Mr. Garrick's saying is true, that theory's been proven sooner than we all thought."

"I'm gonna be honest here, I don't understand what the hell any of you are talking about," Joe said with a frown.

"So, Jay is saying he's from, like, a mirror-world. Or a parallel universe that's very, very similar to ours," Barry explained, but Joe still wasn't getting it.

"Multiverse would be a more apt description," Stein said and Sophia found his colloquialisms quite cute, especially since Joe still didn't understand.

"No, not helping," Joe almost pouted.

"Bless your heart," Cisco said. Stein let out a sigh before moving to pick up a marker from the table, walking over to the clear board on the other side of the room to draw a diagram, hoping that by explaining it with a visual that it would make more sense.

"Okay, let's see if this helps."

Sophia plopped down from her spot and moved closer to Stein, grabbing a marker of her own.

"This is our earth," Stein explained, drawing a large white circle on the board, the marker making a squeaky noise at the contact. "Let's call this Earth 1." He then drew another circle and wrote E2 in the middle. "And this second Earth, let's call it Earth 2, this is where Jay claims to be from."

Sophia then uncapped her marker, and drew another circle next to it, writing E3 in the middle. "And this, is Earth 3, where I ended up when I travelled through the singularity."

"And these other earths, four, five to infinity, all of them, are nearly identical to ours. And they all exist at the same time, giving us endless alternatives to what we have here. For example, the Joe West on Earth 2, your doppelganger, he might not be a detective. He could be a Nobel Prize-winning physicist. And you, the Barry Allen here is The Flash, but over there, he could be an electrician," Stein said, laughing at the end.

"Well, on Earth 3 Barry is still The Flash. In fact, most of the people I met that I knew here were pretty much the same, only a few differences, like the fact that he was a blond, and much taller and b- just taller, yeah," Sophia said, stopping herself before she blurted out words like buffer and bigger. Because even though she knew it would slightly boost his ego, it would also bring him down. The Barry she had encountered was much older, and she had no doubt that her Barry in the future would change as well. She noticed that Barry still gave her a funny look when she fumbled with her words towards the end but she just shook her head and he was none the wiser.

" _Okay,_ So I'm assuming that the people on all these other earths work to make money to pay bills and such."

"I would imagine," Cisco said and Sophia nodded agreeing.

"The differences are quite minute, but enough so that their earth is alternate to ours, and not identical," Sophia explained. She felt like all her childhood days spent watching Doctor Who had paid off.

"So we got that in common," Joe muttered. "I'm heading back to the station. Call me when this makes a little bit more sense. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole idea of time travel," Joe laughed, patting Barry on the back before leaving the cortex.

"There is, uh, one problem that remains," Stein spoke up. "If Mr. Garrick is telling he truth, there is a breach somewhere in Central City that we need to find and close for good."

"Yeah, but how do we find it?"

"We don't even know what to look for."

"Well, I suggest we put our heads together and come up with a solution. Not literally, of course. Those days are over."

"I know what it looks like, I can create a visual on the computer, but I have no way of tracking it for you," Sophia said.

"Well it's a start," Cisco said and they slowly dispersed, leaving only Barry, Sophia and Caitlin behind, Cisco having gone to watch Jay.

"What did you find?" Barry asked Caitlin quietly.

"Well, Jay's heart rate is extraordinarily low. And he does have regenerative capabilities. Other than that, I'm not seeing any evidence of the Speed Force in his system."

"We don't even have proof that he's a speedster, much less from another earth?" Barry asked, not liking these results at all.

"Not necessarily," Caitlin jumped in.

"What does that mean?" Sophia asked.

"Well, Jay doesn't know this, but while I was testing his heart rate, blood pressure and motor responses, I also measured his autonomic reactions while we were talking," Caitlin said with a sly grin, and Sophia's lips split into a smile at her friends cheekiness.

"You gave him a lie detector test didn't you?"

"And he passed it," Caitlin pointed out.

"What if he's not a good guy, and just wants to find out weaknesses?" Barry asked, sounding paranoid. Sophia knew that he didn't want to make the same mistake after having gone through what they did with Wells, and frankly she couldn't blame him. "Keep running tests, see what else you can find out."

* * *

"Detective West, Sir." Her voice was stronger than she thought it would be, and she commended herself on her efforts. She had been trying to build up the courage to speak to Detective West all morning, praying and hoping that he wouldn't shoot her request down the drain.

"Yes, Officer…?" Joe's brows furrowed as he looked at the young blonde cop standing before him. She looked confident as she walked over, but he wasn't sure why she was here.

"Spivot. Patty Spivot," Patty introduced, holding her hand out in front of him to shake. He took it without a second glance, giving it a firm shake before she dropped it by her side, standing impeccably tall. "Captain Singh mentioned there may be positions available on your anti-meta-human task force."

"Yeah, everybody quit. There is no task force anymore," Joe said plainly. After the disaster last week with Atom-Smasher, and the failure of the Boot, it wasn't long until most of the existing members dropped out, not ready to deal with any of that just yet. They would all rather leave that business to the experienced folks like The Flash and Sapphire as one of the members had quoted.

"Well, I know someone who's interested in being on it," Patty said with a chipper smile. "Me."

"You do realise that meta-humans have super powers, right?" Joe let out a soft laugh. "And even if they didn't, you wouldn't be a good fit for the team."

"Because I'm a woman?" Patty asked with a frown, placing her hands on her hips. Joe regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth. He had worked around his daughter, Sophia and Caitlin enough to know that women were more than capable of taking down meta-humans, and here he had to go and open his mouth, practically digging his own grave. It wasn't that he didn't want her on the task force, volunteers were more than welcome. But now that this new threat had presented itself, the task force needed to be shut down, to protect those in it. It was too dangerous and he should have realised that earlier.

"I didn't mean to imply that," Joe defended quickly.

"Good, because I know how difficult this job would be, but I think I'm an excellent candidate," Patty said with a smile. "I triple-majored at Hudson in biology, chemistry and physics. I'm in prime physical condition. And I rated top of my class in marksmanship." She was proud of herself for getting so far, and she was going to make sure that Detective West knew what she was capable of. She could do this.

"Your class? You don't even have your stripes yet."

"Soon. Been on the job seven months, sir."

"Are you aware of what happened to my previous partner?" Joe asked. He knew the easiest way to deter this seemingly determined woman and cop was to let her know of all the dangers involved.

"Detective Thawne, yes," Patty's voice was soft this time as she spoke to Joe, her eyes glancing over briefly at the framed photo of Eddie Thawne that hung on the wall just across from where they stood. He was a martyr and there wasn't one cop in the CCPD, new or old that didn't know his name. "I know that he died and the one before him, Fred Chyre, died, too, but the one before that's not dead, just transferred. I'm sure it had nothing to do with you," She quickly added.

"Listen, Officer…" Joe trailed off, having forgotten her name already. He was really terrible with names.

"Spivot, Patty Spivot."

"Yes, Spivot, the answer's no." If he was being quite honest with himself, she was the perfect candidate for the job, if it was still up for grabs.

"All I'm asking for is a shot, sir." She was too polite, and it made harder for Joe to say no. "Please, just an interview."

"You just had the interview. Didn't get the job." He felt terrible for being so harsh, but it needed to be said. He gave her one last look before grabbing the file on the side of his desk and walking past her in the direction of Singh's office. He needed to have a little talk with the Captain should Spivot get any more ideas about confronting him for a spot on the task force that he wanted to close up for the time being.

* * *

A day later, after Caitlin was yet to yield any different results, Sophia found herself escorting Jay to the pipeline when she realised that Barry's paranoia was getting out of hand. Caution was to be advised when handling Jay, this she could deal with. But locking him up in the pipeline felt like a step too far.

"I hope you understand why we have to do this," Barry said to Jay as the doors closed, a beeping noise indicating that the door had effectively sealed and locked.

"I get it, kid. You're doing what you think you have to. But you'll all realise soon enough that this," Jay waved his hands around, in reference to the prison cell he was now in, "the tests, it's unnecessary. I want to help you, Barry, not harm you." Jay's words were sincere and understanding and it made Sophia feel bad for agreeing with the rest of them to keep Jay in the pipeline until further notice, but she had to tell herself that it was for the best. They were only trying to take safety precautions.

"You're not the first person that's said that to me."

"If what you told me about Zoom is true, that he sent Rothstein here to kill you, instead of locking me up in here, you better start listening. Because if Zoom is involved, you are gonna need a lot more than just me at your side to stay alive," Jay said.

But before Barry could form a reply, Cisco called through the comm. _"Barry, there's a fire at the waterfront. Fire departments en route."_

"I'm on my way," Barry said.

"Be careful," Sophia told Barry and he gave her a reassuring smile before rushing away, leaving her to finish locking Jay up. She felt so terribly useless. She wished nothing more than to just fly out there with Barry…if only she had her powers to do so.

"I'm sorry we have to do this, Jay. But I hope that things work out in the end," Sophia said in a soft voice, giving him a smile. He simply nodded in response before sitting down on the ground in the cell, leaning against the wall in a relaxing position as she pressed the button on the screen, triggering his cell to move back and close the doors.

The fire was massive as it blazed on, but Barry had it out in a flash. It was the villain behind it that was a bit harder to subdue. Kicks and punches had been thrown, along with many grunts and sounds of struggle as the sandman attacked The Flash before disappearing into thin air. He didn't have long to stand there in shock as Cisco spoke to him through the suit before he had to make a quick dash to change out of his suit and head to the crime scene as Barry Allen, CSI for the CCPD, eager to figure out what had ignited the flames, and perhaps gather a bit of evidence to unveil this new meta. He had a feeling that this Meta was somehow linked to Zoom.

He kneeled down, his converse pressing against the ash and rubble left behind as he brought the camera close to his face, focusing the lens on the particular piece on the ground before pressing down on the button, the camera shutter clacking as it snapped another photo.

"What are we dealing with here?" Joe asked, coming up behind Barry.

"Pfft. Well, definitely a meta-human," Barry said. "Had a pretty solid look at him between punches." Barry grimaced, and he was sure there would be a nice big bruise painted on his chest from where the massive sand fist had landed only ten minutes ago. "And he was like, made of sand."

"Sand?"

"Mm-hmm," Barry hummed. It was definitely something new.

" _Okay_ ," Joe said.

"These walls are too porous to pull any prints. I can't even get one off the boat, but check this out," Barry explained to Joe, moving across the room. "There's gasoline burns everywhere. Water didn't go off. Sprinklers weren't working. This was arson," Barry said, a bounce in his step. His work as CSI was always more exciting when Meta's were involved, even if it was a bit more difficult and antagonising at times.

"Excuse me? Barry Allen?" Barry turned around to come face to face with a young woman with blonde hair, dressed professionally, with a badge on her waist.

"Yeah," He replied, unsure of who exactly he was talking to, but he could hear Joe sigh in the background.

"Hi."

"Two days in a row, Officer. What a coincidence."

"Or kismet, if you believe in destiny or fate," Patty trailed off.

"Uh…"

"I'm Patty. Patty Spivot," She introduced, giving Barry a smile. She had been waiting to meet him for a while now since she started at the CCPD. She was beyond excited to find out that she would be working with him.

"Hey," He greeted with a polite smile.

"I'm really excited to meet you. I'm a huge fan!"

"Excuse me?" Barry's face dropped in an instant. _There's no way she knows I'm The Flash, right?_

"Your forensic reports. I…I read them sometimes," Patty admitted shyly, and he thought it was cute.

"Oh," He was surprised and relieved to hear that.

"Who am I kidding? All the time. I've actually read them all," Patty said.

"Wow, I don't think that I've read them all," Barry said with a small laugh, finding it was nice to be appreciated at work.

"They're always so detailed. You know, they really paint a picture, like you were somehow actually there when somebody was being brutally murdered."

Joe just watched on with wide eyes, wanting to laugh at how ridiculous it all sounded. He could see the way that Patty was looking at Barry with eyes of admiration, and he sort of wanted to yell out that he had a girlfriend, but held himself back. Barry was oblivious to this kind of thing, so he probably wouldn't even care.

"Thank you."

"Uh, anyhow. I…I found, uh, something. Well, I think I found something. It's just a theory, but I would like to show you."

"Great," Barry said, gesturing for her to lead the way. Joe and Barry moved, following her as they walked around the crime scene carefully stepping over the yellow tape.

"So, this right here is the point of origin of the fire," Patty pointed to the gas pipes. "And look. I don't know a sandblaster on the market that can make a cut that precise, so I think a meta-human may have done this. Here," She passed over an evidence bag that had been sealed and labelled. "Took a sample for you. Uh, there's also some fingerprints on the back of the pipe."

"You should have gone into CSI work," Barry complimented. Patty seemed to know her way around dissecting a crime scene.

"I love the science, but out here's where all the action is. Isn't that right, Detective West?" Patty asked, her eyes moving to Joe. She had been trying to get him to give her another chance, but so far she had no luck.

"Mm. The answer's still no, Officer S…"

"Spivot."

"Yeah, Spivot," Joe hummed before walking away.

"What was that about?" Barry inquired, pulling out his kit to retrieve the fingerprint evidence from behind the pipe. Patty stood by watching him as he did so.

"I'm trying to join the anti-meta-human task force," Patty told Barry.

"Ah."

"But you heard him." Patty let out a heavy sigh before a lightbulb went off in her head. "Hey, he's kinda like your dad, right? So, do you have any advice on how I can crack his no-code?"

"Yeah, I've been trying to pick that lock since I was eleven. So if you figure it out, how about you let me know?" Barry said with a chuckle, packing his equipment away as he stored the evidence bags.

"Deal. It was nice to meet you, Barry."

"Yeah, you too."

* * *

"His blood pressure is low, his heart rate is low, his oxygen levels are impressive," Caitlin listed off as she ran through another set of tests. Sophia had brought Jay out of his cell and up to their training room, and he was currently running on their treadmill as they ran a few more tests, with no shirt on mind you. So Caitlin was quite…distracted.

"Yeah, but nothing compared to Barry's."

"Agreed," Sophia said.

"No, but he's certainly in the physical specimen range," Caitlin commented and Sophia coughed _pervert_ , sending her a teasing smile.

"In more ways than one," Cisco commented, nudging Caitlin's shoulder when she didn't reply.

"Hmm? Oh, I wasn't paying attention."

"That's enough for today, Jay," Sophia said as she pressed the button connecting the comm.

"Thank you," Caitlin added quickly, causing Cisco to laugh and a light blush to rise on the scientists cheeks.

A rush of wind carried itself through the room, and a smile grew on Sophia's face as Barry came up from behind her, placing a sweet kiss on her cheek, announcing his arrival. He had been caught up at the crime scene all morning and she had missed him at breakfast.

"Found this at the crime scene," Barry said to Caitlin, passing an evidence bag over to her. With an excited smile, the scientist grabbed it from him, running over to her microscope and setting up shop.

"What is this stuff? Sand?"

"It's not sand. It's human cells whose myosin two protein have migrated to the cells periphery," Jay explained as he walked into the room, now dressed in one of the Star Labs jumpers, the material quite form fitting and catching Caitlin off guard for a moment.

"Jay's a fellow science nerd," Caitlin told Barry once she found her voice.

"Those cells have the ability to rearrange and harden, giving them the appearance of sand," Jay said.

"And how do you know this?" Barry questioned.

"They belong to a Meta-human I've fought before named Sand Demon."

"I know you're new here, so I'm just going to break it down for you," Cisco said and Sophia rolled her eyes at his antics. "The whole _naming the bad guys thing_ , that's my jam. But you know what? I'm gonna let you have that one cause I actually kinda like it. I'm not mad at that one."

"But you're still somehow mad at me for knuckles," Sophia muttered under her breath, but Barry heard her as he was sitting so close, and he let out a small laugh and she pouted in his direction.

"Is that Barry's sweatshirt?" Cisco asked, staring at Jay.

"Oh, uh, sorry. It was all we could find, so…" Caitlin trailed off.

"I was gonna say, cause it looks a lot smaller on you, right?" Cisco chuckled awkwardly, and Sophia just motioned for him to cut it out.

"So who is this Sand Demon?" Sophia asked, quick to change the subject. If they knew the identity of the Meta-human it would be a lot easier to track him down.

"I don't know his name, but I know how to stop him," Jay said.

Barry pursed his lips, and let out a sigh, shaking his head. "You know what? I think we'll be fine on our own."

"Look, Barry. I don't know what else I can do to prove to you I'm on your side." Jay's voice was exasperated and he looked tired. "I've been poked, prodded. I even subjected myself to a full body scan."

Everyone turned to look at Caitlin who was now blushing a bright red. "I was being thorough."

"A bit too thorough," Sophia whispered in her direction, and that only made Caitlin more flustered.

"Sand Demon's from my world. Let me teach you how to stop him."

"Yeah, I don't need you to teach me anything, Jay."

"Zoom sent Rothstein here to kill you. He must have sent Sand Demon here to do the same thing. Don't you get it? Anyone close to the Flash, all of you, are in a lot of danger."

"All right. If you're so good, you would have caught him already," Barry countered and the tension was thick as the two stared each other down.

Jay's words sunk into Sophia's mind as she played them over and over. Without her powers, she wasn't able to back Barry up at all, and she was worried that this new Meta from Earth 2 might be as dangerous as Jay claimed, and without his help, she feared that they wouldn't be able to take him down.

"Let's get Jay back to his cell."

* * *

Hours later the team were all huddled back up at Star Labs in the cortex. Joe had tracked down the Meta or at least this world's version. Eddie Slick, aka another low life criminal arsonist. But the thing was, that the Eddie they had tracked down wasn't the one they were looking for. This one was completely human, no indication of powers whatsoever. Joe had informed them over the phone as Caitlin examined the sand sample Barry had brought in earlier that morning.

Sophia's tired eyes watched the television that was currently sporting news about Starling City.

 _Yesterday's surprise broadcast from a Star City vigilante who is calling himself the Green Arrow has spawned a massive outcry of both support and dissenters…_

"Catchy," Sophia mentioned, noting Oliver's new name. It sounded better than just _The Arrow_.

"I hate it when they put a colour in their name," Cisco said with pursed lips, taking another bit of the jelly snake that was in his hands, dragging it out until the lolly snapped between his teeth.

"Haters gonna hate," Sophia said, letting out a deep sigh as she turned around in her seat. She was tapping her leg nervously against the floor. She felt like she had this shake that she just couldn't get rid of… like there was something missing. She knew what was missing, but she just hoped that it wasn't going to be like this all the time.

"Yo," Cisco greeted Barry with what could only be described as a _bro hug_.

"Yo," Barry said as walked over to them.

"The sample you gave us? Yeah, not sand," Cisco said, relishing in the feeling of being right.

"Definitely human cells," Caitlin said.

"Yeah, I know. It's not him, I get it," Barry huffed and Sophia sent him a small smile as she shook her head. She knew that he was starting to see that the rest of them were telling the truth… well more importantly that Jay was.

"I hate to say it, but I think this Earth-2 theory is starting to make sense,"

"Of course it makes sense. I was on an alternate earth, it's possible," Sophia pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'm not gonna just believe some guy that walks in here and says a few things that sort of check out," Barry said, leaving Sophia feeling exasperated. She was usually more patient when it came to these things, but lately she felt on edge. Her fingers started tapping against the edge of her chair, her hands twitching so fast that it was becoming uncomfortable. She noticed that Caitlin was eyeing her and she quickly grabbed her right hand with her other, holding it firmly in her lap to stop it from moving.

"Sort of? He was…he was right about Zoom."

"We don't even know anything about Zoom. What is Zoom? Is Zoom even real?" Barry asked. "Right now, that's just, you know, a story around a campfire. I mean, have you discovered a breach yet?"

"Not yet, but we know how to now."

"Have you found one thing to suggest that Jay is a speedster? Is the Speed Force even in his system?" Barry's voice had raised an octave and when Sophia sent him a silent look, he realised that he had been yelling. He blinked, taking a deep breath. He hadn't meant to take his anger and frustrations out on them.

"It doesn't appear to be, no," Caitlin replied with a tense expression.

"See? We are scientists. We test, we prove, we report. That's what we do. Except right now, nobody here wants to do any of that except for me," Barry said and that was the final straw with Sophia. She stood up from her chair, walking over to him and looking at the others.

"Can we have the room for a minute please?" She asked softly and Caitlin nodded, her and Cisco walking out of the cortex and leaving them behind.

Sophia turned to look at Barry head on. "What's happened to you?"

"Are you… _me_?" Barry asked in confusion.

"Yes, you. My partner, The Flash, my boyfriend. You haven't been yourself lately," Sophia said, watching him with anxious eyes. "What's wrong?"

"A lot's changed," Barry argued, running a hand through his hair.

"It has. You've become paranoid and learned how to not trust people," Sophia said. Barry had always wanted to see the best in people, always finding the brightest part of that person and letting it outshine all the doubt and darkness about them, choosing to find the goodness in the midst of all the bad. But this Barry, he was just cynical and paranoid. "What is it about Jay that you don't like? Why don't you believe him?"

"I don't know," Barry exhaled. "I honestly don't know, Soph."

"It's because he reminds you of Wells. How Wells was always there for us, trying to help us, just like Jay is trying to right now," Sophia said.

"I trusted that man," Barry said, his eyes widening as she dropped it. No one had spoken Wells name in a long time. "For months, we all did. And you know what? Eddie is dead. Ronnie is dead. Y-You died," Barry nearly choked on the words. "You spent three months on that _other_ Earth because of him, you lost your powers because of him. And a whole lot of other people in this city, they're dead because _we_ trusted him. I'm not gonna let us make that mistake again," Barry said firmly. "I'm not going to do anything to risk losing you again."

His words made her heart feel heavy in her chest and she realised that deep down Barry was afraid. He was afraid of giving his trust away so carelessly, afraid that it would be taken advantage of and that the next time it happened he would lose more than he had already.

"I know, Barry. I know what we lost that day just as much as you," Sophia said in a soft tone, looking down at her palms, blinking as she tried to remember what her point was, and not dwell on the fact that she was indeed powerless. "But, not everyone is Harrison Wells. It's alright to trust other people. But that's beside the point. We defeated Wells, together, and it's only together that we can defeat Sand Demon. This team, we all believe in you, so it's time you put a little faith in us, otherwise Wells would have won."

* * *

It hadn't been long after speaking to Barry that they were distracted with another issue. Sand Demon had reappeared outside of the CCPD, attacking Joe and taking Patty prisoner. Barry explained that Patty was a new cop, working at the station with Joe, having only met her recently.

It was painfully obvious what their next move was. They needed to trust Jay. It was either that or let an innocent civilian, a fellow cop, die at his hands. And as terrible as Barry felt for going against his better judgment and going to trust Jay, he knew that he would feel a million times worse if someone had died because of his insecurities and fears. Sophia was occupied upstairs in the cortex, helping the others come up with a plan to get Patty back whilst Barry went down to fetch Jay.

"Finally come to your senses?" Jay asked as he sat relaxed in the floor of his cell. He had felt the box move forward only a minute prior, and he knew that someone had come to visit him again, but he was frankly too exhausted to care to stand up.

"Sand Demon kidnapped a police officer, someone that I know," Barry said to Jay, who stood up immediately, walking closer to the glass.

"And you need my help?"

"I need you to help us save her. Before something happens," Barry said.

"I guess you're gonna have to trust me know, huh, kid?" Jay said and Barry gave him a sheepish look, unlocking the cell and letting him out.

"No hard feelings?" Barry asked, rubbing the back of his neck. He hoped that Jay wouldn't say no to helping them because of the rough patch they had just gone through. But Barry knew that if it had to happen again, he would do the same thing. His friend's safety came first, and though he was taking Jay's help, believing in him like his team seemed to, he knew that he couldn't let his guard down, not yet at least.

The two walked into the cortex in silent, and by the relaxed look on Jay's face, Barry knew that he wasn't upset.

"We're looking for any structures that promote humidity. Greenhouses, grow rooms, anything of the sort. His body will literally start to fall apart if he becomes dehydrated," Jay explained to the team. Cisco nodded, getting onto it in a second flat, his fingers moving against the keyboard in a flurry of strokes.

"Like dry sand," Barry said.

"Exactly."

"At least it's a start," Sophia said and Joe nodded in agreement. He had no idea where to start in their search for Patty and he was worried that she would get hurt, or worse.

"Sand Demon always attacks on two fronts. He creates a diversion, then strikes when you're distracted," Jay said, a light look of pain on his face and Sophia figured he was relieving an experience. He clearly had a lot of knowledge from his personal encounters and battles with Sand Demon, who seemed like a formidable enemy from what she had seen. But looking at Barry and their team, she had the utmost faith that they would be able to stop him and save the day. It's what they did, and she believed in them all.

"Okay, then what do we do?"

"We use your speed to get to him before the distraction can happen," Jay said.

"Jay, how do I stop somebody who can slip through my fingers?" Barry asked. When he had gone up against the Sand Demon that morning, it had resulted in a fight that ended quickly due to the Meta's ability to change his form into the finest grains of sand.

"The way I was never able to. With lightning," Jay said and Sophia's jaw nearly dropped.

" _Lightning_?"

"Yo, are you about to pull a Zeus right now?!" Cisco had a new bounce in his step and he was way too excited to see how things would go down.

"What are you talking about?" Joe asked.

"Barry's gonna hurl lightning from the energy he creates when he runs. Because lightning plus sand equals…" Jay told them.

"Glass," Caitlin finished Jay's sentence, a smile on her lips.

"Time to learn something new, kid."

Cisco let out a whoop of laughter, and they all smiled at his antics, moving towards the training room downstairs where this first demonstration would take place. But Sophia and Barry lagged behind the group, waiting for Joe who had just gotten off the phone, a worried look on his face.

"Hey, are you good?" Barry asked Joe.

"That was Singh. CCPD still hasn't found anything yet," Joe said, feeling guilty.

"We'll find her."

"Irony is, I didn't want Patty to have anything to do with the damn task force in the first place, and she gets taken because of me."

"No, no, no, this isn't your fault, all right?" Barry was quick to defend Joe and reassure him that it wasn't his actions that had caused this to happen.

"It's hard not to think that."

"I know it is Joe," Sophia jumped in. "But try not to. We'll find Patty, after all, we are a team."

"Whatever it takes," Barry reassured Joe with a smile.

"Come on, let's go see this guy do something new," Sophia said with a smile, nudging Joe's arm as they followed Barry.

* * *

"Flash is coming for you, you know," Patty said, finding her voice after she had woken up, bleary eyed and bound to a chair.

"Yeah, I'm sure he is," Slick drawled in a monotone voice.

"You can't beat him. A-and Sapphire, she'll be there too," Patty breathed out. "I don't care what powers you have. They'll stop you."

"I don't know what you heard sweetheart, but I believe that his little girlfriend Sapphire is long gone. Besides I wouldn't be too sure of that," He said in regards to her last remark.

"Is that why you need to build that concussive bomb?" She asked sarcastically, her eyes darting to the device he was melding in his hands. "Yeah, I know what it is. I'm a cop, I've seen one before."

"This isn't gonna kill The Flash. I am. This… is gonna kill you," Slick said and suddenly all her previously found confidence had dwindled down into a deep dark pool as her heart rate accelerated, her mind pounding at the threat.

She swallowed her fears, and kept talking. She hoped that if she did enough she could buy herself some time, and discover a bit more of Slick's plan.

"You know you got lucky, right?" Patty kept her voice strong and clear even though her emotions were bubbling up inside like a volcano ready to erupt. "You think you were chosen. The rest of us don't mean anything," She thought it would be hard to talk to him about this, but her feelings were easy to express as her mind flashed back to her father. "But it's not true. You were just at the right place at the right time. Getting those powers didn't change who you are. They only highlighted the worsts parts of who you already were."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe not. Either way, you and The Flash are about to find out what those worst parts are."

* * *

"Again," Jay instructed as Barry stopped running, heaving with his hands on his knees as he took in heavy breaths. His legs were aching if he was being honest. He hadn't trained this hard in a while, and trying something new really took the energy out of him. He knew that he would be consuming a lot of those special energy bars Caitlin had made for him.

"I've been doing this for an hour. It's not working," Barry groaned, straightening up.

Sophia looked down at him from up where she was sitting with Caitlin and Jay. "Barry, you can do this. Just take it slow, you're too tense," Sophia advised. She hated that she was giving him advice that Wells/Eobard had given her once, but she knew that it was true. She could see it in his behaviour and posture, and if he didn't relax a bit then he wasn't going to be able to allow the energy to flow through him, and of all people she understood what he needed to do get that working.

"It's because you're trying to rush it. This is the one time you need to slow down. Let the energy pass over you, then simply direct it where you want it to go."

"All right, Jay…I don't know if I'm going to get this in time," Barry said, his words showcasing his doubts about the success of this all.

"You'll get it. I believe in you," Jay said optimistically.

Barry froze for a second before looking back at Jay. "The last person that helped me like this was a man that I looked up to. _Idolized_. He taught me how to get faster, how to get stronger, how to use my powers to save people. That same man murdered my mother."

Caitlin and Sophia were silent as they watched the tense air between the two males in the room. They both knew that this was between Jay and Barry and that in order for them to move forward, for Barry to finally trust Jay, that they needed to sort this out between themselves.

"It's a tough break, but I'm not him."

"Yeah," Barry breathed out, feeling relieved at Jays' response.

"I know where they are!" Cisco yelled as he came bounding into the room, Joe falling behind him as they rushed in. "The abandoned Woodrue grow house. That's where Slick's keeping Patty," Cisco panted as he clutched the stich that was forming in his side from running too fast.

"Great work, Cisco!" Sophia praised, feeling lighter as they moved towards their victory. She knew that their team would be successful, and with Jay helping Barry in tandem, she didn't feel as nervous about sending him out into the field by himself.

"And I was thinking, if I were Sand Demon and I were attacking a speedster on two fronts, I would probably want to slow you down, like, by using a concussive bomb or something like that," Cisco quickly added, his words quite specific, and Sophia detected this in an instant, watching him with confused eyes. Did he know something? If he did then how? She didn't have enough time to dwell on it because they were all moving soon enough, ready to get Patty back and stop Sand Demon.

"That's a good thought."

"He's actually used one on me before," Jay said quickly. "His body absorbs the blast so it doesn't affect him. Well, kid, gonna have to think of something."

It was in that moment that Sophia felt hopeless again. She tried not to think about how easy it would be to take Sand Demon out and rescue Patty if she had her powers. She would be able to contain the bomb, and protect them from the blast in time for Barry to run in and save Patty before they took him down together.

"You know what?" Barry said, an idea suddenly coming to mind. "What if we give Slick a diversion? He knows you right? You said you went up against him."

"Yeah, but, Barry, I don't have my speed," Jay pointed out, crossing his arms, his brow furrowed. He wouldn't be of much help without his speed.

"He doesn't know that," Barry said. "You got your suit?"

"Sure. Well, except my helmet," Jay said.

"Helmet? Silver kettle helmet? Gold wings?" Cisco asked quickly.

"Don't tell me you guys found it?" Jay asked with a bought of laughter as Cisco grinned in response, running to retrieve the helmet, throwing it into Jay's hands a moment later.

"Never thought I'd see that again," Jay said, smiling softly as he looked down at the relic in his hands. "It was my father's from the War of the Americas."

"Did you just say _War of the Americas?_ "

"I wish you would have just told us you lost your helmet," Barry said with a breathy laugh. "Would have saved us all a headache." He felt at ease as he held his hand out to Jay, the taller man taking it and shaking it firmly.

"Well, sure you want to do this, Flash?" Jay asked.

"Yeah," Barry smirked. "Let's go see what you're made of… _Flash."_

And there, was the beginning of a relationship of trust as the two speedsters, well The Flash and former speedster Jay would go and stop Sand Demon. _Together._

"I'm in the security feed," Cisco said through the comm.

"Now, Barry!" Sophia instructed. Barry grabbed Jay, running him into the room, creating the illusion that he still had his powers, before rushing out of there, leaving Jay behind as the distraction, praying that this worked.

"Is that you, Flash? Found your way here?" Slick asked intrigued as his eyes trailed over the man standing before him in the stark bright red and yellow suit.

"I came quite a distance," Jay said.

"I thought you were dead."

"You were wrong, like usual," Jay said, his stance tall and strong, hoping it would intimidate Slick enough to throw him off guard. "Let the go girl."

"Have at it. But you touch her, she goes boom," Slick said with a glint of insanity in his eye, his hands demonstrating the boom that he spoke off. "And I think even you aren't fast enough to save her."

Jay moved as quickly as he could without his powers in an attempt to evade an attack from Sand Demon. Evidently he wasn't fast enough, his body crashing to the ground ungracefully with a painful smack as Slick stood nearby a smirk on his lips.

"Quite a bit slower on this Earth, aren't you, Flash?" Sand Demon didn't even let The Flash get in a word before he threw fists of sand at his chest, and back knocking him straight off his feet as soon as the man had stood up. "You don't have your speed, do you?

"Slicks distracted. Go Barry," Joe instructed.

Barry ran in to grab Patty from the chair she had been tied up to, but the concussive bomb had been strapped to the bottom. As soon as he made contact with the chair, it started to go off. He grabbed Patty in a second flat, wrapping his arms around her as he ran them as far away from the explosion of orange and yellow flames, hoping that Jay would be alright.

"Patty's alive," Barry breathed out through the comm. as he ran the young detective out of the building and to safety, laying her against the side of the building, her unconscious body resting as he moved to go and aid Jay in finishing off Sand Demon.

"Must be my lucky day. Zoom sent me here to kill you," Sand Demon said with a bout of manic laughter. "Now I get to kill The Flash from two worlds before I go home." Sand Demon formed a fist, the sand trailing through the air as he grasped Jay by the throat, squeezing tighter as he strangled him.

"He's choking Jay. Barry, you gotta do something now," Cisco said.

"Come on!" Barry ran around them in circles, as fast as he could go, his mind flashing back to his training that day, the way the energy rolled off him, feeling the electricity flow through his veins, the speed force trailing down his arm as he focused, throwing his arm out, the lightning forming and flying out of his fingertips. "Ah!" It was certainly a sight to behold, the golden lightning bolt flashing as it travelled through the air, colliding with Sand Demon, and causing him to break his form, the particles crumbling as his body turned back into that of a human, falling to the ground in defeat.

"You okay?" Barry asked Jay, his eyes rolling over him to check for any injuries. He admired Jay for his bravery and for coming along even though he didn't have his powers.

"Yeah _. I'm okay_. Nice shot, kid," Jay said, panting on the ground.

"Flash?" Caitlin asked.

"Coming."

* * *

Sophia was nervous as she waited at home, expecting Barry soon. She had wanted to stay to say thank you to Jay for helping Barry out in the field, and for watching his back. Without Jay they wouldn't have been able to stop Sand Demon, but she just didn't feel well enough to stay.

A sharp piercing pain had appeared in her side, and in an attempt to not worry either Caitlin or Stein for that matter, she made a quick excuse about having to feed Chewie before jumping in her car and rushing home. The pain seemed to get worse and worse until she got to her apartment, and she had a feeling that it was accompanying the shaking she had felt this morning.

She was anxious and worried about what this meant. Was this pain somehow related to her losing her powers? If so, why was it only presenting itself now? These were questions that wracked her thoughts as she rummaged through her medicine cabinet in her bathroom to find pain killers that would be strong enough to put her at ease. She had soon found them, and popped two pills for good measure, swallowing them dry in the urgent need to feel relief. It was a good ten minutes later that it started to kick in, and she could feel the area numbing itself away. She was also starting to feel a bit drowsy, and she knew that this was a side-effect of the medication, and she just hoped that Barry would get home before she found herself knocked out in the middle of their living room.

But alas, the fifteen minute wait had turned into a half hour, and then an hour and she figured that he must have been stuck locking Sand Demon up in his cell, and getting Patty back on her feet. She couldn't help herself when her eye started to droop closed, her head resting on her arm as she leaned into the corner of the soft couch, soon dozing off into a fitful sleep.

When Barry returned home that night, a small smile graced his lips as he saw Sophia sleeping soundly on the couch. He leaned against the wall, watching her for a little while, admiring the sight before him. He was glad that he took her advice, that he trusted Jay. It was the right thing to do, and he realised that the Flash from the other world wasn't so bad. The day had turned out to be a victorious one, and he had her to thank for helping him, as well as his friends. A sigh escaped his lips and his heartstrings were being tugged at as he continued to watch her sleep, her lips slightly parted as her chest rose and fell with each breath.

Barry walked across the room, and placed his arms around her, one going behind her neck, the other hooking behind her knees as he lifted her up into his arms and moved her to their bedroom. He used his foot to open the door, and placed her gently on her side of the bed, glad that she was already changed in her PJs, making his job a bit easier. He carefully draped the blanket across her, before speed changing himself out of his clothes and into his sleepwear before sliding in next to her. He shuffled closer to her so they were almost cuddling, resting his head on his pillow as he watched her. He brought his hand up to brush aside a piece of her hair, his fingers resting on the side of her face as he moved forward placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight, my love." _Sweet dreams._

* * *

Cisco had thought he would have been the only one left at Star Labs this late, but alas, he was wrong once again. Professor Stein was wandering the halls for some reason and had found him sitting in his lab, ready to ask questions, some of which Cisco wasn't sure he was ready to answer just yet.

This whole day had been one hell of a ride, and all he wanted to do was to go to bed, and wish that the world would go back to normal before he woke up. He wanted things to be like old times, to be the same as what they once were a year ago. He wished that they were still the same strong team from before, working with Barry's new and fascinating powers, not having to deal with issues like betrayal from one of their own and villains from the future, not to mention the fact that he was probably a meta-human now because of said villain.

"Any progress with the electrophotography?"

"The satellite picture of the city's still rendering," Cisco spoke without looking back, continuing to type away at his computer to look busy. He hoped that if he did this that Stein would give up in his attempt to spark conversation, and just go home for the day.

"Two hunches in one day," Stein started and Cisco clenched his jaw, hoping for the best. "Slick's locale, and that he'd be using a concussive bomb to thwart Barry. Do I need to inform you of the odds of such a prediction?"

Cisco was silent for a moment as he closed his eyes and took a second to gather his thoughts. He rubbed the side of his head before standing up and turning around to face the professor.

"Something's happening to me…I'm starting to perceive things," Cisco said. "Horrible things. It started after Wells killed me in the other timeline. It came back when Atom Smasher attacked on Flash Day, and then again when Sand Demon showed up. I get a vibe, and then a vision of something that's already happened, and then _it's gone_."

Professor Stein looked at Cisco with wide eyes, his mind unravelling with all the possibilities of what Cisco had just said.

"That's how I knew where Slick was."

"Cisco, this is amazing," Stein breathed out. "We…we have to study this, figure out just what to do."

"No, no, no, we're not doing any of that, and we're certainly not telling anybody, either," Cisco was quick to tell Stein that he didn't want to tell anyone yet. He wasn't sure what to make of these powers, how they changed him, not to mention the fact that it was Wells of all people who had inadvertently bestowed these powers upon him. He wasn't ready to deal with that just yet, and he felt if he didn't say it out loud, if he didn't tell them all that it wouldn't be real. Plus, he was sure that Sophia was still struggling with the loss of her powers and he didn't want to dump more on his friends than they were already dealing with, at least not yet.

"Cisco, I would think you'd be the one most intrigued with knowing exactly what this is and how it works."

"I'm seeing things I don't want to see. And knowing things I don't want to know. I just want it to stop. Professor, I don't want anyone to know about this," Cisco sighed. "Not yet."

"It's okay to be afraid, you know?"

"Wells told me this was my future. That he gave me this power, but all he did was evil. That's what scares me professor. You have to promise me you won't tell anyone about this."

"I promise."

There was a sudden beeping from the computer and both turned to look at what it was. With this new information, the two of them moved to the cortex to do some further research to discover that Caitlin was still there and Stein didn't waste a second in telling her the news.

"Oh, wow. It appears that while we were indeed successful in closing the singularity, there was an unfortunate side effect."

"What are you talking about?" Caitlin asked.

"Using electrophotography, Cisco and I were able to search Central City for any signs of energy entering our earth from another dimension. From any _breaches_ as Mr. Garrick described them."

"But get this, there isn't just one. There's 52," Cisco said and Caitlin's eyes grew wider by the second.

"These breaches are pockets of time and space folded into and upon itself. But the most significant breach of all appears to be this one," Stein said and Cisco clicked away at the computer pulling up the map with the locations of each breach to show Caitlin.

"And where exactly is that located?"

"It's here, inside Star Labs. And just beyond that breach is an entirely diff…fferent," Stein's last word was muffled as he suddenly collapsed to the ground, floating away into a land of unconsciousness. Caitlin and Cisco rushed over to his side in an instant. Caitlin placed two fingers against his neck to feel for a pulse, panicking when she only felt a light thump against her fingertips.

"Professor?"

" _Professor!"_

* * *

 **A/N –**

 **Sorry for leaving you guys for so long without an update. I've been sick on and off and piled on with a mountain of work from both my job and studies. I'm doing my best. I just got so stuck on this one chapter and it's hurting the progress of the story… but I have a week off next week so I'll try to get some quality writing in.**

 **Hope this chapter wasn't a complete flop. But be excited because next update brings back everyone's favourite anti-hero CAPTAIN COLD. Don't we all love us some lenny/barry/Sophia interactions. #sigh**

 **Thank you for all the faves/follows/reviews you guys are amazing, and without you I wouldn't be here.**

 **Reviews:**

RHatch89: Thank you!

Guest: Glad you enjoyed it, hope this one is a great start to the weekend.

Turtlekier42: Thank you, that means a lot to me. I was worried it wasn't going to be good angst. Glad it worked out well.

xXAlyaIsMyBaeXx: I'm so glad. This chapter was a bit slow in terms of progress, but we do see the introduction of both Jay and Patty on the scene, and was it Jay who was following her those few chapters ago? Thank you so much for your encouraging words.

-Queen: THEN MY JOB IS DONE. I ship them so much tbh. I'm so excited for s3 thought because I am desperate for some westallen love. Glad you enjoyed it.

Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review! I haven't written her on E2 yet, and I'm considering leaving Sophia on E1 tbh, because I want to really explore E2 Sophia and if E1 Sophia is there then it complicates things, so I might be keeping her away from E2 for now… but as I said, nothing is set in stone! And don't you worry, Zoom will be hurting all of their pretty faces soon enough.

Grace003: Thank you for your review. I am trying my best to update a new chapter every 10-14 days, I'm just too busy at this point in time. But don't forget to check out the AU one-shot series I have on my profile to keep you going in between waits.

Riana Chere: Thank you for the review! I guess you'll have to wait and see! But don't stress, there will be plenty of Flash and Sapphire kicking ass in the future, both with powers and without.


	6. Family of Rogues

CHAPTER SIX

The night sky was a beautiful midnight black, the stark white stars standing out against Mother Nature's back drop that evening. Time had flown by once again, and the citizens of Central City found themselves buried underneath mountains of work in between the shocking news of new Meta-humans appearing in their beloved city, ready to wreak havoc and destroy their saviour The Flash.

Since the man known as Sand Demon had appeared onto the scene, there had been another doppelganger that had wormed their way through the breach to their earth. It was a woman named Marie who had a penchant for intoxicating fumes, ones that would alter the perceptions of the victim into completing her bidding without refusal or delay. It had caused quite a bit of stress for them all as they tried to capture her, especially since Jay had no previous knowledge of encountering her on his earth prior to their meeting in Central City. Cisco had quickly enough developed a gas mask that would work for Barry, preventing him from being intoxicated, and Caitlin and Sophia hadn't had trouble synthesising an antidote once they were able to retrieve a sample. What was difficult was the fact that a majority of the CCPD had been under her control, and it ended up in a near three hour stand-off as the team figured out a plan to stop Marie who had dubbed herself _the_ Mystifying Marie, a pretty poor name in Cisco's book.

But today was a new day, and Barry was holed up in his lab once again, working a late night shift in order to catch up with his paperwork and analysis of evidence. Being the sole protector of Central City with these new Meta-humans from Earth 2 on the loose were starting to take a toll on him. He didn't have the support of Sapphire. He realised now that he had taken the extra aid for granted. It was much easier with another Meta on his side, especially with a different skill set. It meant that things would get solved faster, and with less casualties, but he had been making sure to keep up his training both mentally and physically so that he could stay on top with not only his work in his everyday life, but as The Flash. He had a city to protect, and a man named Zoom to hunt down. He wasn't going to give up just yet. But even though Sapphire was no longer a part of their team in that sense, he was ever thankful that he had the support of his loving girlfriend Sophia.

Speaking of loving girlfriend, Sophia had just walked back into his lab, carrying what seemed to be their dinner for the night. She was dressed in her nurse scrubs, only having just came back from an afternoon shift that finished at the gracious time of 9pm. She had a tired smile on her face, but at the sight of Barry her eyes lit up, and her posture perked up in an instant. She had missed him dearly, and all she wanted to do was wrap herself up in his arms and lay with him for a little while, but she knew that reality wasn't that perfect. They had work to do, and a lot of it.

"Hey," Barry said, a bright smile appearing on his face. He hadn't seen her all day, only a mere glance with sleepy vision as she left a soft kiss on his forehead when she left their apartment for work, ready to start a double shift.

"Hi," Sophia said, plopping in the seat next to Barry, leaning over and planting a chaste kiss on his lips as she put down the take-out. " _So_ , I've brought your favourite."

"God, I love you," Barry breathed out, leaning over and capturing her lips in another sweet kiss. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she could feel her heart beating away in her chest

"Mmm, I should bring you dinner more often," Sophia laughed.

"Or just yourself," Barry said, placing one last kiss on her cheek before they dug into their meal, laughing and chatting away for the next hour. Sophia moved swiftly, throwing their empty containers into the trash and letting her hair out of its bun, relaxing as her soft tresses were released from their tight hold.

She had nagged Barry for the last week to get in a small couch in his lab, knowing how much time they had started to spend there recently, and he had finally caved and got one put in. It was an old leather brown couch with a hand-made throw rug thrown on top and it was possibly one of the comfiest things Sophia had ever slept on.

"Going to have a quick nap?"

"Mmm," She hummed.

"Why don't you go home?"

"I told you before Barry, I go home when you go home, so get that cute but of yours working so we can cuddle up in bed."

"Sure thing, Captain," Barry fake saluted and she gave him a wink before laying down on the couch, curling up into a ball as she closed her eyes.

Barry on the other hand got out his goggles, placing them on his face as he got to work with a titration, swishing around the chemicals in his flask and cylinder, forming a bright red liquid that he need to record down for one of his cases. It was a second later that his phone chimed, and he picked up, hearing the sound of bullets ricochet in the background.

"Iris?" Barry asked in panic, dropping the solution, the glass cylinder shattering upon impact with the ground, shocking Sophia out of her light sleep. "Were those gunshots?"

"What's happening?" Sophia asked shooting up off the couch.

"Yeah, I need your help, now!" Iris was running through the dark complex, doing her best to duck and cover as the bullets flew towards her. "I'm at Baldwin Tower, I can't find a way out!"

"Window, is there a window?" Barry asked, his words rushing out as he pulled the goggles off his face, tossing them onto his table carelessly, Sophia just watching in worry.

 _If only I had my powers_ she thought to herself. She could have been there in a second flat to catch her. But then again, so could Barry. She didn't have to worry, at least that's what she kept telling herself.

"Um, yeah, up ahead," Iris said, turning quickly as she spotted it, running past another set of beams and columns, hoping the sheets and paper hanging on the construction site of the tower would give her a bit of cover. "Okay, I'm by the window. Why?"

"Okay, great, you're gonna need to jump," Barry said, pacing in the room.

"What? Are you crazy? Barry, no way," Iris said trying to catch her breath as she ducked once again, the bullets missing her by a few inches.

"Iris! Do you trust me?"

"Yes, I trust you."

"Okay, then jump." Those were Barry's last words as he rushed out of the room, off to save Iris.

Sophia stood there in the silence that he left behind, her heart pounding away in her chest at the worry for Iris. She knew that lately Iris had become more involved in her journalism work, and she could only hope that Iris wouldn't get caught up in danger whilst trying to land a new story.

Sophia jumped back up from her seat when Barry ran back into the room, now dressed back in his normal clothes and out of his suit.

"Is she alright?" Sophia asked, walking up to him. He nodded and she let out a sigh of relief. "What happened?"

"She was tracking a lead, and it got a bit messy, but the important thing is she's safe," Barry said.

"Thank god."

"I know. She's determined, that's for sure."

"I don't know if that's a good thing, or a bad one."

"Yeah, how about we get this show on the road?" Barry asked, zipping around the room in a second flat as he cleaned up the mess he had made previously, leaving it clean and tidy.

"I think that sounds like a great idea," Sophia said, letting out a long yawn. "Sorry."

"No, it's cute," Barry commented. He noticed the way her nose scrunched up as yawned, and he couldn't help but think it was adorable.

"Really?" She asked, raising a brow.

"Okay, you sort of look like Chewbacca, _but it's still cute_."

"You know, if Chewie wasn't my favourite character, I would have hit you for that."

"You love me too much to do that."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get going _Flash,"_ Sophia whispered as he moved, whisking her into his arms and back to their apartment where they crashed onto the bed in a fit of laughter before the two souls drifted off into a peaceful sleep, their arms wrapped around each other, the sound of their heartbeats lulling them away into a land of dreams.

* * *

"Pretty amazing isn't it?" Jay said, admiring the sight before him. An enormous blob of blue hovered in the air, melding itself into shapes that almost resembled something that of a bubble, or a lava lamp, different shades and hues of blue emanating off the breach that was before them.

"Still can't believe what I'm looking at," Sophia said. "I mean, I can but… I can't?" It was certainly a sight to behold. It looked different to that of the singularity, and the wormhole that Zatara had created for her, but at the same time, it felt the same. It was almost like she could feel the energy rolling off it, and the more she stood in its presence, the more she felt like home. The more she felt like her old self, before she lost her powers, and she honestly couldn't believe it.

"52 breaches in Central City, and the biggest one just happens to be in our basement."

"We need a name for it," Cisco said with a bounce in his step.

"It's not a pet, Cisco," Caitlin chided.

"No, it's a wormhole," Professor Stein said, walking into the room, a bit slower than usual as well.

"Professor Stein, what are you doing? Your blood pressure is 147 over 82, you could pass out again," Caitlin berated the Professor, who just shook his head, denying the very fact that he was ill.

"Oh, it's merely a few points above the average 140 for someone my age," Stein said. He was more interested in this new scientific discovery and not the fact that his blood pressure was a bit off, and that he had fainted only a few weeks ago, with no explanation. "Besides, I have some ideas I would like to contribute to this discussion, Dr. Snow."

"And I want to hear them," Jay chimed in. "This isn't just a wormhole. It's my way home.

"Back to Earth two."

"Jay, you really think that we can use this as some kind of bridge from your world to ours?" Barry asked.

"Well, hasn't Zoom been doing exactly that when he sends through a new Meta of the week?" Sophia pointed out.

"But we don't exactly know how. Everything I put through just bounces back," Cisco said with a frown. He had tried throwing all sorts of things into the breach only to have it thrown back in his face, and it was not a fun experience.

"If Zoom is using these breaches to transport people from Earth Two, maybe it takes a speedster," Barry said.

"You're not going to-," Sophia started only to be stopped mid-way when Barry ran back a little bit, ready to move forward, directly at the blue breach.

"Yeah, he's going to," Cisco finished for her and they all watched as Barry ran head on at the breach with his speed, only to have his body bounce off the energy and crash to the ground rolling around like a burrito on wheels until he came to a stop, groaning on the floor.

"Maybe I'm not fast enough," Barry breathed out.

"I don't believe your speed is the entirety of the issue, Barry. It might be the breach's stability or lack thereof," Stein professed.

"He's right. We need to think of the breach as a door, and on Earth two, there's another door. In between, we have a hallway, but the hallway's constantly shifting, twisting, collapsing upon itself."

"And the doors keep moving with it," Barry hummed as he moved to watch the breach.

"So we stabilise the door, we stabilise the hallway."

"And then I can jump through it."

"Exactly, it would serve as a kind of cannon."

"A speed cannon," Jay said excitedly.

"Mm. We should hang out more," Cisco said to Jay with a nod.

"All right, no more tests today," Stein announced. "All of you are leaving now, as am I. Cherish the gift of youth as I will go cherish my much needed nap. Clarissa's already on her way to pick me up."

And that's how they found themselves sitting at Jitters fifteen minutes later. They had met up with Iris who was currently on her morning break from CCPN, and ready to down what would be her third coffee.

Sophia was just glad that she was getting outside, it was nice to be somewhere other than work or her house. Barry had gone with her in line to pick up a few coffee's that had been named The Flash. It was endearing and Barry found himself blushing when he saw that he had a drink named after him. Sophia teased him about it, but then as Barry glanced to the list of drinks on the board, he directed the teasing to her.

"Sapphire Knight, a frozen smoothie blend of blueberries, sorbet and a dash of surprise, ready to keep you flying high," Barry read out the description on the board, pointing it out for her. She looked at it with wide eyes, letting out a giggle as she saw the little sapphire insignia drawn on the side in bright cobalt blue.

"You know what, I think I'll try something other than coffee this morning," Sophia said.

"You better let me have a sip, it looks good," Barry commented as they watched a teenage girl pick up her Sapphire Smoothie blend.

A moment later their order had been called and Barry insisted on picking up the four coffees by himself, leaving Sophia to grab her smoothie. They were walking over back to the table where Iris, Caitlin and Cisco sat when they nearly ran head first into Patty Spivot.

"Hey," Patty greeted with a bright smile.

"Hey!"

"Hey! The Flash," Patty said looking at the cups of coffee in Barry's hand, before her eyes drifted over to Sophia with her smoothie. "And Sapphire."

Both Barry and Sophia were having mini heart-attacks when Patty said that before realising that she didn't mean to greet them as their alter-ego's but instead comment on their choice of drink.

"What?" Barry was the first one to speak.

"The drinks that they're serving today. They're called _The Flash_ and that smoothie you have there is the Sapphire Knight."

"Oh, yeah," Sophia laughed, suddenly feeling silly for thinking that Patty could have guessed who they were.

"Uh, Patty this is Sophia, my girlfriend, Sophia this is Patty," Barry quickly introduced the two to each other. Sophia already knew who Patty was, having dealt with her rescue mission only a few weeks ago, but they had yet to meet in person. She had heard good things about her and was excited to finally meet her in person.

"Lovely to meet you," Sophia said, putting out a hand for Patty to shake.

"Likewise," Patty grinned. "Barry's told me so much about you."

"Good things I hope," Sophia said with a laugh. "I heard that you're working with Joe on his new Meta-human task force, how's that going for you?" Sophia asked, politely.

"It's great, Joe definitely keeps me on my toes. I actually have to head into work now," Patty realised, looking at her watch and checking the time. "Sorry to cut this short, it was great meeting you, we should all catch up soon!"

"Yeah, totally."

"No worries, good to see you too," Sophia said.

"Bye," Patty waved before running to grab her drink and head off into work.

"She's nice," Sophia remarked as they walked back to their table placing the drinks down.

"Yeah, she's really great," Barry said with a smile before turning back to the group of friends sitting at the table, awaiting their hot beverages. "All right, four Flashes, and be careful, apparently they are super caffeinated."

"Ooh, you got the Sapphire Smoothie, I had it last night and man is that stuff good," Cisco praised as he moved to grab a cup.

"It's really weird having a drink named after me," Sophia said.

"Tell me about it," Barry threw back with a laugh, leaning his arms on the table as he scooted his seat over, moving closer to Sophia.

"Well, all the things you do, rebuilding this place, protecting people, everyone's appreciative, of both of you," Iris said, lifting up her cup.

"I'll drink to that."

"Mmm."

"Hey, you guys think Professor Stein is okay, right? I mean, Clarissa would call me if there was anything wrong," Caitlin asked.

"Yeah." Sophia smiled at Caitlin's worrying nature. Since she had lost Ronnie, Caitlin had become closer to Professor Stein, feeling as though he was the last living connection she had left to Ronnie. Taking care of him, and helping him out made her feel better.

"I'm just gonna call and check in," Caitlin said, causing the rest of them to laugh as she dialled his number, ducking out to make the quick call. "I'll be back."

"I don't see that call going well," Iris commented taking a sip of her drink.

"Young Lady, these repeated intrusions are interrupting what should be a speedy recov-," Cisco's vivid impression of Stein was interrupted when a young woman bumped into him, as he spoke animatedly. He quickly stopped and looked over, apologising in an instant. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"You can bump into me any day, Cisco." The voice was sly and familiar and as the brunette turned to face them, Sophia recognised the face of Lisa Snart in an instant.

"Lisa Snart," Cisco exhaled, crossing his arms. "You here to double cross us again, or are you and your big bro holding up coffee shops now?" Cisco remarked sarcastically.

"I need your help." Lisa said shaking her head, her curls bouncing with every movement she made. For someone who was evil, she sure looked good.

"In your dreams, Sister Cold. You know I could call The Flash," Cisco said and Sophia turned to look at Barry who was carefully watching Lisa as he held his coffee cup to his mouth, using it to cover most of his face. "He'd be here in like two seconds, probably one," Cisco threatened, pulling out his phone.

"Call him," Lisa said flatly.

"Oh, okay, I'm gonna call him," Cisco kept going with his threat before pausing when he noticed that she wasn't objecting. "You really want me to call The Flash?"

"I need his help too. My brother's been kidnapped."

Sophia looked to Barry with wide eyes and she knew that their luck had run out. This wasn't going to be another ordinary day.

* * *

Back at Star Labs, Sophia was sitting in, but without her mask. Lisa knew that there had been a girl who worked with The Flash from Snart's tales of their first encounters, she just didn't know that this girl was in fact the former Sapphire Knight.

Barry was pacing the room in his suit, Caitlin was standing stiff with her arms crossed and Cisco was unsure of what do to with himself. When they had left Jitters to go and discuss this in the privacy of Star Labs, Iris had headed back to work at CCPN in the hopes of gathering some information for them about Snart's disappearance in town, putting her investigative reporter skills to use.

"All right, so you really want us to believe that Captain Cold was kidnapped?" The Flash asked Lisa who huffed in response.

"I saw it happen."

"Mm-hmm," Cisco hummed in a tone that made it obvious he didn't believe her words.

"Last night, Lenny, me and Mick were knocking over the cashier's cage at Central City Racetrack," Lisa started off the story.

"Does it physically pain your family not to rob people?" Caitlin threw in with a shake of her head in disapproval.

"I never finished the job," Lisa almost sneered. "After Mick torched through the side entrance, I looked back for Lenny and saw him getting thrown into the back of a van."

"And why didn't you and Mick follow?" Sophia spoke up.

"I would have," Lisa said with a look that screamed distress. "Someone hit me from behind and knocked me out. When I came to, Lenny was gone, and Mick already made off with the cash."

"Talk about loyalty amongst thieves," Sophia muttered.

"How do we know this isn't some kind of trap?" Cisco asked.

"If Lenny wanted Flash dead, he would have let Mardon, Simmons and Bivolo take that honour, remember?"

" _Yeah_ , I remember."

 _We all do_ Sophia thought to herself. She still harboured bitter feelings towards Snart after his last betrayal.

"Good. Then you'll also recall that you owe Lenny a favour for saving your life," Lisa spoke, standing in front of The Flash. "Time to make good on that debt, Flash."

"I do not like her," Caitlin announced, not caring that Lisa was standing less than two feet away, and privy to their conversation.

"Yeah, but she makes a point. What?" Cisco defended when Caitlin gave him a weird look.

"Cisco's right, we should at least hear her out before throwing her to the wolves."

"Right," Barry said with a sigh. "Even if I wanted to help, how are we supposed to find him?"

"Not a problem," Cisco said, walking over to the computers and plopping his butt down into a chair. "See, when I rebuilt the cold gun, I didn't have time to place a tracker on it, so I devised a method of locating it by borrowing some military technology. See the gun works the same as thermal imaging, only instead of infrared heat signatures, it's looking for ultraviolet cold signatures," Cisco explained.

"Hey, look at that," Sophia pointed to the screen that was now glowing a bright blue in a tall building on the outskirts of the city.

"The gun's UV thermal reading was last picked up at 5th and Hoyt, eight minutes ago."

"All right. Let's see if you're a liar," The Flash said to Lisa before, rushing out of there, leaving a gust of wind behind.

Sophia sat down in the chair, looking at the screen tracking Barry anxiously as she waited for him to get back. His comm. was still on, but he didn't currently have their line running and it was slowly chipping away at her as she anxiously waited for his return.

Barry must have tapped his ear piece because a second later she could hear the pain in his voice as he groaned.

"Talk to me, what's going on?" Cisco asked quickly as Sophia darted next to him, watching his vitals drop on the screen. His heart rate and blood pressure were plummeting and all Sophia could picture was Snart firing his deadly cold gun at him.

"Cisco! Snart hit me with his cold gun!"

"His vitals are bottoming out," Caitlin voiced.

"I'm bringing the heat right now," Cisco said before pressing down on a button on the screen. The Flash suit on the screen was a visual indication of Barry's own suit, and Sophia watched as the chest started glowing a bright yellow, waves of heat rolling off it.

"What?" Barry said in confusion. "The suit, what's happening?"

"Therma-threading, baby," Cisco said and Sophia honestly never loved him more in her life. "It's a little something I added for situations exactly like this one."

"Please, please, tell me it's working," Sophia said through the comm. her nerves on fire as she waited for his response.

"Yeah, it works, but Snart's gone, and Lisa has a lot of explaining to do," Barry said.

"Thank god, just get your cute butt back here, so I can see that you're alive with my own two eyes," Sophia instructed.

* * *

"So your brother was not kidnapped. He was pulling a job with your father," The Flash said, not surprising the others, but apparently he did a good job of shocking Lisa with the news.

"What? No, Lenny would never do that," Lisa denied.

"Oh, just like he would never try and kill The Flash with his cold gun."

"Are you sure it was my dad?"

"That's him. Lewis Snart," The Flash said, nodding his head towards the screen that held up his mug shot.

"Convicted of larceny, armed robbery, aggravated assault, assault with a deadly weapon, the list goes on," Sophia said.

"You have to believe me. Lenny would never work with him," Lisa told them. "He's a bad guy."

Sophia watched Lisa carefully. There was something about the way she had said those last words, and the look in her eye that made Sophia feel uneasy. Something about this wasn't right.

"You and your entire family are criminals. Why should we trust anything you say?" Caitlin asked.

Lisa knew that Lenny wouldn't work with her father willingly, and she was ready to tell them anything to get them to believe her. She pulled her jacket to the side, exposing the jagged scar that marred her neck, trailing down into her shoulder. Their silence spoke wonders as they starred at it, confused and shocked.

"I didn't get this scar being a criminal. I got it being a daughter," Lisa spoke, her voice softer but clear, as she said those words, covering up her scar with her jacket once more.

There was a heavy feeling in Sophia's gut and she felt guilty as she watched Lisa walk away and out of the cortex. Though she didn't like the woman, she knew that no one deserved to be treated like that, to go through something like that. Sophia moved to go and talk to her, to apologise for their accusations when Cisco stopped her, holding up his hand.

"Let me go," Cisco said. "I got this."

Cisco ran down the hall, and followed the sound of Lisa's footsteps til he found himself standing in his little rucksack of an office slash lab. Lisa froze as she heard him enter the room, and found herself at a loss for words. She hadn't expected him or anyone for that matter, to come after her.

"I see you found my hiding spot," Cisco said. "This is usually where I come to, you know, get away."

"First time my father came after me, I was seven. Second time, I was eight. That's when I learned that a bottle hurts worse than a fist. He used to say he was trying to teach us lessons. I must have been a slow learner, because the lessons never stopped." The words flew off her lips, and she didn't know why she was trusting Cisco with such a vulnerable part of herself, but she felt like she could trust him, there was something about him that made her feel safe.

"I'm sorry, Lisa," Cisco said in a soft voice, placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and gave him a wry smile.

"Lenny practically raised me. If it weren't for him, I would have turned out a lot worse," Lisa said causing Cisco to let out a light laugh. "I know, how could I be any worse?"

"I didn't say that," Cisco said pointedly.

"You didn't have to," Lisa said, looking him in the eye. Cisco worse his heart on his sleeve, and Lisa was good at reading it. "But believe me, there is worse. And, look, he may be a jerk brother, but he's the only jerk brother I've got. He protected me, now it's my turn. If he's with my dad, he is in serious trouble," Lisa said.

"But-,"

"Please, you gotta find out what's going on," Lisa pleaded.

"Don't worry, we'll do everything we can," Cisco said, giving her a reassuring smile. There was something about her in that moment that made him want to take care of her, to tell her that everything would be alright.

* * *

After a long discussion, a bit of yelling and words of desperation, Barry finally agreed to let Sophia come with him to speak with Leonard Snart. Barry was reluctant to let her come with because he had this idea in his head that because she didn't have her powers, she wasn't able to protect herself anymore. She made it clear to him that she could still protect herself when she expertly pounced on him. He wasn't sure what happened, only that she had grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back and flipping him over in a complicated manner til he landed face first on the floor.

She had given him a smug look and expressed that she could take care of herself. She told him that he needed to remember that she was indeed the one who had kept it a secret for him for a while, and that she had been patrolling for a good few months without her powers before deciding that she wouldn't be able to anymore. She knew her limits and she made it clear. He seemed to be satisfied with this answer and they made sure to make up with a tight hug and chaste kiss before leaving on their journey to discover the truth behind Snart's team up with his father.

Sophia's black boots met the ground when Barry let her out of his grasp, arriving at the shady bar that Leonard Snart was hanging out in. It was the same one they had found him in the last time they came to him with a proposal. She just hoped that his time round, things wouldn't end in them being double-crossed. But she knew that there was a high probability of this happening.

Sophia shoved her hands into the pocket of her leather jacket, walking by Barry's side as they entered the bar. They spotted Leonard in an instant, and made towards the booth he was sitting in, hidden in the corner of the joint that smelt of alcohol, smoke, and fried food.

"Back from the dead so soon, Barry?" Leonard taunted as Barry took a seat, letting Sophia slide in next to him, leaving her facing Leonard straight on. "Then again, you two are rather good at cheating death, at least that's what I hear."

"Good to see you as well, Leonard," Sophia said sarcastically.

"Pass me the salt."

"Don't spill, its bad luck," Barry commented as Leonard took another bite from his meal.

"Why are you working with Lewis?" Sophia asked, leaning back in the seat of the booth and crossing her arms. She was going to get straight to it, no running around in circles. She knew the way that Leonard worked, and if they wanted answers closest to the truth then they needed to be blunt. "Lisa told us you hate him."

"Things are… _complicated_ with family, as you know with your own parents, hmm?" Leonard chided.

"Tell us what's going on. Let us help you."

"What help is a knight without her sword?" Leonard asked, Sophia's face dropping at his words. " _Oh_ , don't think I didn't realise. Whatever happened that day, it changed you."

Sophia clenched her jaw and tried not to let him get to her. "We can still help."

"I can still help you," Barry said, cutting the attention away from Sophia. He knew that she was still sensitive about it all and he could see it on her face though she tried to hide it well.

"Don't waste your time trying to save people who don't want to be saved," Leonard said.

"Yeah, well, maybe it's not about you, all right? I'm betting whatever you two are up to, innocent people are gonna get hurt. Like they always do." Barry wasn't going to let this go. Not after Lisa's revelation, not after she pleaded to Cisco to help. Something here wasn't right and Barry didn't feel content leaving it alone.

"Don't worry, I remember our deal. You leave me alone, I make sure no one dies."

"You're a criminal Snart, but you live by a code. You're father, he doesn't give a shit if people die. That's why we won't leave this alone. That's why even if I don't have my powers, I'm gonna do everything I can to help," Sophia said, her bluntness surprising them both. "That's what we do."

"Then everyone will know who The Flash is under that mask," Leonard threatened. "No one will care about the little girl from Kansas who _was_ a superhero. But they might about your boyfriend."

"You do that, I'll come after you myself," Sophia said with a hard tone. She wasn't about to let him threaten Barry.

"I don't care," Barry said, jumping in. "Expose me, do whatever you want. I will take you down anyway. Both of you." Barry stared down Snart, hoping he would see how serious he truly was.

"We'll see about that," Leonard said, standing up from his spot. "Thanks for dinner." Snart walked away, leaving the check for them to pick up.

"I swear to god, one day, I will kick his ass," Sophia muttered to Barry.

"And I'll be there cheering you on," Barry said with pursed lips as he threw a twenty on the table, and walked out of there with Sophia, trying to come up with a plan to solve their problem.

* * *

Sophia was sitting on the couch in Barry's lab, trying to wait out a painful headache that had hit her. She insisted that she was fine when Barry asked and she just hoped it would pass soon. She would have to inquire with Caitlin soon about what was happening, but for now she just wanted to focus on the task at hand. She was waiting for Barry to finish up with a few bits of paperwork before they would try and come up with another plan to get Snart to open up and let them help. Otherwise, they were just going to have to take both him and his father out. That was the only other option, but it was very risky considering that Lisa was thrown into the mix.

Just as she was mulling over different ideas and plans, Joe walked into the room, looking quite alarmed and frazzled.

"Hey, Joe, is everything okay?"

"Iris's mom is alive, I lied to Iris, you, everybody," Joe blurted out. Barry nearly dropped the cup of coffee he was holding and Sophia's brown eyes went wide with shock. Iris never spoke about her mother a lot, but Sophia got the impression that she had left them on bad terms and that she was also dead. Deceased. Buried in the ground. It seemed like lately, everyone was just coming back from the dead.

"Why?" Barry asked.

"I felt like I didn't have a choice," Joe confessed. "Francine did so many things wrong. Just about everything. _I don't know_. Now I feel like my one wrong might be worse."

"Look, Joe. I've known you for, you know, most of my life, and I know that you always have a good reason for the decisions you make. And obviously, you were worried that Iris would go down the wrong path if Francine raised her."

"Look at Snart," Sophia said. "He's a criminal because he had Lewis for a father. He had no one there to guide him on the right path, and so he made crappy decisions that shaped his life."

"That could have been me," Barry said, with a serious expression and both Sophia and Joe cracked up in hysterics.

"Oh, come on. Never," Joe said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, because I had you," Barry said, a smile playing on his lips. "And so did Iris. You just gotta trust in that, and tell her the truth."

"Yeah, how do I do that without hurting her?" Joe asked, this time turning to look at Sophia.

"She's not a little girl anymore. She's a grown woman, she can handle it, you've just got to trust her," Sophia advised Joe.

"I just lied to her for so long, I'm scared she's not gonna understand or forgive me. I could lose her."

"No, she's gonna forgive you. You just gotta give her a chance."

"Thanks guys," Joe said, letting out a shaky breath. Sophia gave him a smile and pulled him in for a hug, Barry joining soon after. He had been worrying about it all day, ever since Francine showed up at the bar, asking to see Iris. Then he had made himself feel even guiltier when he went to see Iris at CCPN. He knew what he had to do.

He had to tell Iris the truth. He had to tell her that her mother was still alive.

Soon after their little chat in the lab, Barry and Joe were called off to a crime scene, and upon their return to Star Labs, it was discovered that Lewis Snart was the one behind the brutal beheading of a tech guy name Rutenberg who was working with them on whatever illegal activity they were involved in.

Barry had called Sophia before he arrived to let her know about the case, and placed a request. Cisco and Sophia were on it in no time, gathering the equipment they needed to scan Lisa with.

"Caitlin, we need you up here, like, right now," Cisco said through the comm. Caitlin was downstairs with Jay and they needed her help up here.

Sophia had already done baseline obs on Lisa and was happy to see that there were no other signs or effects, but she was freaking out. There was literally a bomb inside of Lisa Snart's head, and that's why Leonard was so intent on working with his father, to keep her safe.

"What is it?" Lisa asked. She was starting to panic now that they were fretting over her.

"Lisa, there are traces of thermite on your skin," Sophia broke the news with a soft voice.

"Thermite? Like an explosive?"

"Not like an explosive," Cisco said. "It's a bomb."

"When you were knocked out, your dad must have injected you with it," Caitlin concluded.

Lisa could feel her heart racing and she looked down to her hands, wondering what the hell was going to happen next.

* * *

"Hey, Dad, what's up?" Iris asked, walking through the front door of her house. She took off her coat and hung it on the rack, dropping her bag by the front door as she moved to sit on the couch by her father's side. When he had sent her a text that afternoon to meet up with him, she had been worried that something was wrong. "Your message was pretty cryptic, even for you."

"Dad what's going on?" Iris asked, bringing him out of his thoughts. He turned this time to face her, and took a deep breath before beginning.

"Okay. When I was still a beat cop, me and my partner were on patrol, and dispatch came on the radio. A little girl had called in. She said her mom had taken some pills and she wouldn't wake up. And the little girl gave the address. The address was mine," Joe said and Iris's eyes went wide, she couldn't believe what he was saying.

"By the time I got here, your mother was unresponsive. Passed out on the couch, and in the kitchen, the stove was on. There you were, standing in front of an open flame. If I hadn't gotten here when I did –," Joe let out a shaky breath as she cut him off.

" _Wait_ , my mom-," Iris was starting to put the pieces together.

"Your mom was a drug addict. This wasn't the first time something like that had happened. I got Francine into another rehab, and a couple days later, she was gone," Joe's voice sounded broken as he continued and Iris took his hand in her own as he continued. "I looked everywhere for her, but wife of a cop…she knew how to disappear. I couldn't stand… the thought of you growing up thinking you were abandoned. Going to sleep at night thinking your mother left because you weren't enough to make her stay, that you weren't loved, because _I loved you._ I loved you with everything I got. Then we took Barry in, and I saw the trauma he was going through and I- I was sure. I was sure that I did the right thing. Not giving you that burden."

"What do you mean mom _left_ ," Iris said, retracting her hand. She could feel the tears building up in her eyes and she tried her hardest to keep them at bay. "I-I don't… I don't understand. _I don't understand._ What are you telling me?" Iris asked.

"Your mother's alive. She's here in Central City. She wants to see you," Joe exhaled.

"All these years, I thought-," Iris trailed off, frowning. "Daddy, you told me that my-"

"I know. I should have told you sooner, but I couldn't figure out the right way. The mother you thought you remember-the perfect mother and the stories I made up for you- that is the mother you deserve, and I knew Francine couldn't be like that. She would only break your heart," Joe said. "I'm so sorry." Tears fell from Joe's eyes and he felt the guilt pour out of him the more he cried.

" _Dad_ … it's okay. I understand. You were just trying to keep me safe," Iris whispered as a few tears trickled down her cheeks. She moved forward, pulling her father into a tight hug, burying her head in his chest as they held onto each other, both with broken hearts, but knowing that this secret would not break them.

* * *

"The micro-bomb casing must be made of some kind of ferromagnetic material," Caitlin mused as Cisco played around with a few different magnetic pieces of tech around Lisa's neck, where the bomb had been injected.

"Once you hold it steady with the magnet, I can surgically excise it," Caitlin said.

"Put the magnet down! This is a really concentrated bomb," Barry warned. "It's gonna combust if its exposed to magnetic friction and an oxidant."

"What's he talking about?" Lisa asked.

"Air," Sophia answered. "The bomb will most likely explode if it comes into contact with air."

"Don't worry, Lisa. We're gonna find another way to get it out," Cisco reassured her.

"Scientific minds, can we confer, please," Caitlin asked and all of them moved to the front of the room to discuss.

"What if The Flash speed extracts it?"

"Nope, it's too risky."

"I'm gonna find a way to get it out, I just need a little time," Caitlin said.

"Well, we need to keep track of Lewis until you figure out how to disarm the bomb," Barry said. "I wish we knew what he was gonna steal next and when."

"Maybe I can get them to tell me," Sophia said, suddenly coming up with an idea. "You said that their tech guy is dead, so I'm betting they're gonna need a new one."

When they all looked to her with confused faces, she rolled her eyes and went on to explain.

"I'm saying that I can infiltrate their crew. They're down a player, and whatever they're planning, they obviously need a third pair of hands," Sophia said.

"You're gonna pretend to be a criminal?"

"How hard can it be?"

"You're not going to do it," Barry said, crossing his arms and shaking his head. There was no way he was going to let his girlfriend go in alone on what could very well be a suicide mission with Lewis Snart around. He couldn't risk her getting hurt, and just the thought of her being in a situation that dangerous without her powers made him want to take her home and protect her from all this danger. He realised that it made him sound like a over protective idiot, as he knew very well that Sophia was more than capable of taking care of herself, but he just didn't want to lose her.

"I thought we went over this before, I can do this," Sophia huffed. "Let me do this, its one thing I can. I don't need powers to infiltrate his crew. I have enough basic knowledge on the sort of tech they're working with that I can wing it. Plus I'm going to have you guys guiding me through anyway, like a standard mission," Sophia said.

"Fine, but I'm not letting you go in alone. I'm coming with," Barry said, and she nodded agreeing with him.

"It'll be like old times," Sophia joked, but he could see the sadness in her eyes.

"Won't it look suspicious if both of you go?" Cisco asked, looking at the both of them.

"No, I have an idea," Barry said, a grin forming on his face. He hoped that this would work out.

* * *

"These visits are getting old," Leonard said in a stiff tone as he watched both Sophia and Barry arrive on the scene of his latest hide out. He knew that he needed to get rid of them before his father came back, but he had a feeling they would be sticking around. He could tell by the way they were dressed in dark clothes, different from their usual bright colours, also the fact that Sophia was wearing what was obviously a wig with, covering up part of her face with the black bangs she was now sporting.

"Third time's a charm."

"I told you, I don't need saving."

"But your sister does. We know that your dad put a bomb in Lisa. He threatened to kill her if you didn't help him," Sophia said, only to receive a stone cold look from Snart, and silence. "I'm taking that silence as a yes."

"Look don't worry, our teams working on a way to remove the bomb," Barry said.

"I hope you got that gun of yours ready to blast cause'-"

"Who the hell is this?"

"Lenny said you need a new tech. You got two, and a little bit extra," Sophia spoke up. The new get up she was wearing made her feel more confident than before, and she knew that they had to pull it off to get Lewis to believe them.

"What's up, I'm Sam, so…" Barry threw in next, giving off a chill vibe.

"Hah," You tellin' me you think these two can crack a Draycon keypad?"

"Sam could do it in his sleep. We did help Snart steal the Kahndaq Dynasty Diamond from Central City Museum last year," Sophia said, staring Lewis straight in the eye.

"That was locked up behind an AmerTerk Industries phase three suppression door with Draycon XL-1218 keypad, so…" Barry finished off, finding that Lewis suddenly looked a bit more impressed.

"Couldn't have done it without him," Snart said through almost gritted teeth.

"Draycon's my jam." Barry shrugged his shoulders, sticking his hands into the pocket of his black denim jacket as he watched Papa Snart with careful eyes.

"And what about you?" Lewis said, eyeing Sophia.

"I'm Kira, the muscle, and the pretty face that will get you in," Sophia told Lewis.

"Okay, _Sam, Kira_ , let's go."

"Right now?" Barry asked and Leonard sent him a look that said, just go with it.

"You got a problem with that?"

"No, all good. Can't wait."

"Keep quiet and follow my lead."

"Just like old times," Snart mused as he jumped in the back off the van with his gear, plopping down next to Sophia.

The ride to the building was quiet and tense. Lewis sat in the front of the truck alone, leaving Leonard, Barry and herself in the back. Leonard debriefed them on the mission, making sure to speak carefully since his father was listening in. The two knew what their roles would be, and he gave them the fake security tags they had as well as clothing.

Sophia was glad that she came there in a black dress. She took off the jacket that had made the look casual, leaving her in the sleeveless black dress that reached just above her knees. Her flats were a good choice and her look was made professional in less than a second after she carefully styled the wig, and applied a bit of red lipstick. She was to get them through the door, and up into the other levels. The rest of them would be dressed as plumbers, heading up to fix a problem.

They parked the van a street back, before getting out all the equipment, making sure they looked the part. Sophia walked to the front desk, nerves bubbling up in her stomach. She reminded herself that she had been the one to volunteer so she needed to get her head in the game. She could do this.

Arriving at the front desk, she put on her best look of innocence, giving the security guard manning the desk a smile.

"Hi, I am so sorry to bother you, but I forgot my key card upstairs in my office, and I need to escort these gentlemen to the third floor so they can fix a maintenance issue. Would you be able to give me one of the spare cards so I can get up there?" Sophia asked giving the guy a seductive grin. "It would make my day a hell of a lot easier."

"S-Sure thing ma'am, I-uh, just give me a moment," The guard fumbled. He looked quite young and she actually found it quite funny that her feminine wiles were enough to make this poor man stutter, and she wasn't even wearing a promiscuous outfit, it was in fact, quite covering compared to most things.

"Thanks handsome," Sophia gave him a wink for good measure when he passed her the key card, and she turned to the others, finding that Leonard was watching her with a look of impression, and Barry looked a bit jealous. She did her best to mask her emotions as they walked to the elevator, tapping themselves into the building.

"Nice work, Kira," Lewis commented as they got into the elevator, pressing the button for the sixth floor, their true destination.

"Thanks, Snart."

The doors of the elevator opened and the two Snart's walked out first, Barry and Sophia following in tow.

"Hold on," Lewis paused. "Did you hear that?" The group quickly moved to hide behind a pillar as they heard chatter up ahead.

"I got it," Barry said, pulling out his tablet and tapping away on the screen to open up the security cameras, to find that there were guards walking down that very hallway "It's two armed guards."

"Guess your timing didn't work out after all," Lewis sneered at Leonard who just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's why I got a plan B."

"Cause you always needed one," Snart threw back.

"Yeah, but your sister turned out to be a disappointment also," Lewis commented as he pulled out his weapon, pulling back the top of the black weapon and cocking the gun. "All right, what do you say we get on with the job?" With Lewis diverting his full attention to Leonard, Barry took this opportunity to run down the hallway, picking up the two guards and knocking them out, dropping them off on another floor, safe and far away from Lewis Snart who was waving around a gun.

"Guards are gone, must have taken a break," Sophia said, looking over at Barry's tablet, the one he was holding after he just got back. Barry gave her a wink when Lewis wasn't looking and she knew what he had done.

" _Yeah_ , must have," Leonard said, hoping Lewis wouldn't suspect a thing.

"Okay, Sam. Show us what you got," Lewis said as they walked down the hallway, moving to the Draycon keypad that he was meant to hack.

"Yeah, all right. Gonna just-," Barry motioned towards the keypad. "You guys just keep a look out," He said with a nervous tone before turning around. He had gone over the basics of using Draycon, in fact he had used his speed reading to read an entire collection of research based on it in the hopes that he would be able to pull it off.

Sophia turned to stand next to Barry, but in a position where she could watch him, and both of the Snart's behind her watching guard. Sophia had a bad feeling about what was about to happen next. There was something about Lewis that was just more off-putting than usual. Something didn't feel right, and she just hoped that whatever happened next, that Leonard would be on their side. She hoped that Cisco and Caitlin were faring well back at Star Labs as they attempted to come up with a way to remove the bomb from Lisa.

With calculating eyes, Barry focused on the keypad, using his speed to enter multiple codes until he reached the correct one, a buzzing noise emitting from the device as the door unlocked. A sigh of relief rushed through him and he gave Sophia an encouraging smile before turning back around and calling out for Leonard and Lewis who were waiting down the hall.

"Boom!" Lewis walked up towards the door, pushing it open with one hand, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face.

"Told you Draycon was my jam," Barry said, a proud smile on his face as he watched Leonard walk up to the door, also looking quite impressed that he had managed to pull it off.

"Nice job, Sam," Lewis commented.

"Yeah,"

"It's good to go out on a high note. I'm sorry, Barry," Lewis said.

As soon as those words came out, Sophia's eyes widened and she dropped the tablet she was holding to the ground. She saw Lewis move for his gun, but she wasn't fast enough. By the time she had pulled out her own stun-gun that Cisco had made for her that was underneath her dress, strapped to her thigh, Lewis had already fired at Barry, the bullets flying at him. He went down in an instant, and she swore that her heart was about to beat outside of her chest, but she tried to remain calm as she kept her gun trained on Lewis who was now in a vulnerable position.

"Why did you do that?!" She yelled, but not too loud as to arouse attention from the guards a few floors down.

"We didn't need him anymore," Lewis said coolly, and while she had turned her head to look down at Barry's still body, Lewis took the opportunity to pull his weapon on her as well. She narrowed her eyes at him, and it was a showdown. She knew that Barry was faster than a bullet, and judging by the lack of blood, he wasn't dead. She needed to play her part right otherwise she would be, and so would Lisa if she screwed this up. She could see Leonard watching her carefully, waiting to see what her next move would be.

Sophia let out a visible sigh, slowly bringing her gun down as she watched Lewis. She hoped that he would buy her next move. "We have six minutes, do you want to finish the mission or what?"

"Let's get moving," Leonard urged, and they all filed in down the unlocked door and onto the new level. It was much darker in here, which meant they were going in the right direction.

"Once this is over, I'm bouncing," Sophia said to Leonard, loud enough for Lewis to hear. She knew that it had been the right thing to say because Lewis had relaxed a bit. The elder Snart had expected her to act more violent considering he had just killed her partner in crime, but her reaction for now would suffice, and he found her actions professional if anything.

They reached a small alcove before Lewis paused in his step, holding his hand up and indicating for them to stop.

"Okay, son. Make me proud," Lewis said, stepping aside.

"Like I care," Leonard said lazily, inching a foot forward to activate the hidden lasers with a device of his own creation to make them visible without activating the alarms.

"Ha, now what?" Lewis remarked sarcastically and Sophia couldn't help but glare at the back of his head. Leonard rolled his eyes before pulling down his protective glasses onto his face, and whipping out his cold gun. He fired up the gun, a deep humming noise emitting from the weapon before he pressed down on the trigger, the waves of cold and ice flowing out and freezing the lasers in place. It was certainly a sight to watch and Sophia looked at it in awe. Leonard took a step forward and crumbled the lasers as he walked through it, the ice shattering into a thousand tiny pieces.

"I told you, I had a better way past the lasers," Leonard told Lewis who didn't look impressed at all.

 _Arrogant_ , Sophia thought. Even though Leonard was the enemy, she could admire that he was still powerful and with his technique and intelligence, he had proven himself to be a formidable enemy.

"Step aside. Time for another lesson." Lewis pulled out some sort of device, and hooked it on the wall of the safe, plugging two ear pieces into his ears as he twisted and turned his way through the locks.

"We've got 125 seconds before the system defrosts," Leonard said to Lewis in a snarky tone.

"Then what?"

"Sirens," Sophia said, pulling out her stun gun for good measure.

Sophia watched anxiously as Lewis clicked the last of the code in place, before the door unlocked. Lewis unloaded a majority of the diamonds into his black bag, when the sirens went off, alarms blaring.

"Time's up," Leonard said.

"Let's get out of here."

The three turned around and Sophia hoped that Barry showed up soon otherwise Lewis was going to get away, and Lisa was going to be in more danger than before. A second after this thought had crossed her mind, Barry came barrelling into the room as The Flash, standing there strong and taller than ever and her heart relaxed at the very sight of him, seeing that he was okay. Barry opened his mouth to speak, his words directed at Lewis, but his eyes were focused on Sophia and she was glad, because it was the only thing keeping her calm in that very moment. Leonard had his gun pointed to Barry and she had done so as well, even if it was delayed. She had to keep up the act for a little while longer.

"Only place you're going back is to Iron Heights, Lewis."

"Ah, you wanna bet?"

"Do I wanna bet?" When Barry had said these words instead of finishing Lewis off, both Sophia and Leonard shared a glance. They hadn't gotten the bomb out of Lisa yet, they just hoped that it would be sooner rather than later, there was only so long that Barry could stall a man like Lewis.

"Tell me this, what kind of man puts a bomb in his own daughter?"

"A very rich man," Lewis spoke, taking a step forward. "Shoot him, son." When Leonard did nothing, both him and Sophia standing there still, they knew the jig was up.

Lewis turned around to glare at his son, holding the remote controller for the bomb in Lisa's head. A press of the red button atop the device would be all it would take to kill Lisa Snart for good. "Kill him or you'll never see your sister alive."

The tension in the room was high and Sophia was unsure of what would happen next. By the look on Barry's face, she was sure that he was just waiting for a signal from Cisco and Caitlin about the bomb. She held her breath as she watched Leonards resolve slip. She knew that he just needed to hang on a second more and they would be fine.

"Lisa's safe," Barry told Leonard, and a flash of recognition came across Lewis's face. Sophia moved back to stand by Leonard's side as Lewis turned towards the both of them. Leonard didn't waste a second before he turned his gun on his father, firing away with a fury, surprising Barry and Sophia.

"Aah! You're working with The Flash?" Lewis gasped, the ice clawing its way up his body through the massive icicle impaled in his chest. "I thought you hated him?"

"Not as much as I hate you," Leonard said. Lewis gurgled trying to get out one last word before the ice completely encompassed his heart, leaving him on his knees as his dead body crashed to the floor.

"Lisa was safe, why did you do that?" Sophia asked as Barry moved forward, plucking the cold gun from Snart's hands.

"He broke my sister's heart," Leonard said simply. "Only fair I break his."

* * *

It had been one desperately long day by the time Sophia had been dropped back to her apartment after Barry whisked her away in his arms. She would never get over how comfortable and at home she felt in his arms as he ran her around the city. Though she had her head tucked into the curve of his neck, the warmth that radiated off him, and the rate at which his pulse was beating was enough to give her the thrill and the rush of moving so fast.

Barry had given her a quick kiss before rushing away to sort out Leonards jail papers. She was thankful that everything had worked out in the end, even if it was a bit dramatic. Leonard was back behind bars, his father would never hurt anyone ever again, and Lisa didn't have a bomb in her neck.

All was good in the world. Sophia took this opportunity to go and have a quick shower, eager for Barry to arrive back home. She just wanted to bury herself in his embrace, and lay down for a little while in his arms.

When she saw those bullets hit him today she was worried that they would have met their mark. She knew that he was fast, and that he had dodged them with an ease that was almost graceful, but she had still worried nonetheless. Seeing him in any form of danger made her heart ache, especially because she knew that she didn't have the power to prevent it or protect him, not like she used to.

It was a fact that she needed to come to terms with, but she was finding it terribly hard to do so. She was glad at least that this situation worked out well. She had been able to go with on the mission as back up even though she didn't have her powers, and it resorted a sense of confidence and strength in her that she had lost upon her return home.

She was laying on their bed in a loose tee shirt of Barry's and a pair of short grey shorts as she waited for him to get back. She knew that next week would be hectic, and she would probably be working extra hours at the hospital for all the ones she had taken off recently, and she wanted to savour the moments she could with Barry before their busy lives got ahead of them once again.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Barry was leaning against the frame of the open bedroom door, watching her as though he was the moon in the night sky. His heavy gaze was enough to make her blush as she patted the spot on the bed next to her. He rushed over doing a belly flop on the bed causing her to let out a laugh as he shuffled his way closer to her, nestling himself in between her legs, his head resting on her stomach as she brought her hands up to his hair, running her fingers through it.

"Long day, huh?" She mused.

"Tell me about it," Barry let out a sigh. "But, I'm proud of you," He said, looking up at her from his position. It was a bit weird because she was upside down, but not really and he wanted to laugh at how ridiculously cute she looked when she pouted down at him.

"Proud of me? What did I do to earn such words of praise?" Sophia teased.

"You were just- _you_ ," Barry said, bopping her nose with his finger.

"You're being cute you know."

"I know."

She leaned, down capturing his lips in a sweet kiss. She admitted that it was weird considering that it was almost upside down, but there was some sort of thrill that came with it that made her stomach flutter as he leaned up increasing the pressure of his lips against hers. The kiss was reassuring and loving, and it made Sophia feel at home. She knew that whatever happened next, whatever crazy and impossible thing was thrown at them, they could do it, because they were a team, but first and foremost, they were a family.

* * *

"Tada! The Speed cannon."

"Wow! Look at that."

"Dudes, you actually built the thing," Cisco breathed out, looking at the cannon in awe. The large metal structure had three components, and the way it was shaped around the breach actually made it look like a cannon.

"Mr, Garrick, I am quite impressed by what you've accomplished during my recent wellness hiatus," Stein applauded, to which Jay shyly nodded thanks.

"Have you tested it out yet?" Sophia asked. She wondered what was on the other side of that breach. Would it take them to Earth-2 or would it also be a gateway to other Earths like the one she had visited in her time away?

"Not yet."

"You wanna do the honours?"

"No, no, no, no. Now that I, uh-now that I am back to the optimum health, please allow me," Stein said seemingly excited. He shimmed out of one of his shoes, and picked it up before using his stronger arm to throw it into the breach, which gobbled it up like a piece of candy.

"Excelsior!" Stein exclaimed and Sophia laughed along with Caitlin at his antics. They clapped and Barry just moved over to chat with Jay, bouncing with excitement at this new development.

"How did you stabilise it?"

"CFL Quark Matter," Jay said with a grin.

"Ah, negative energy density with positive surface pressure. That's genius."

"You created CFL Quark Matter?"

"It's something we perfected on my Earth. I'll show you sometime," Jay said.

"You mean, sometime in the next few minutes?"

It was then that it dawned on Sophia that this would be it. Jay would be going back to his Earth now that they had successfully stabilised the breach.

"Oh, yeah I guess this is it, huh? Time for me to go back home."

"Right now?" Caitlin asked, taking a step forward. She didn't want Jay to leave, at least not yet, not when she was just getting to know him. "I mean we still need your help with the Breachers."

"My first priority is Zoom. I need to find out what he's up to. How he stole my speed."

"But you can do that here, and you know, if you go back, then we can't get in touch with you when we need your help or…with Zoom or whatever else," Caitlin rambled, and it was painfully obvious to everyone in the room that she didn't want Jay to go just yet. Sophia sent Barry a look and they held grins back as they watched Caitlin fumble with her words and blush as she waited for Jay's response.

"It would be nice to be able to pick your brain every once in a while, get some more speedster tips," Barry said, swooping into save Caitlin from embarrassment. Jay laughed and shook his head, a smile plastered on his lips.

"Okay… once we take care of Zoom, I'm going home."

"That's fair."

"So, Professor Stein, how are you feeling?" Sophia asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. She was glad to see that he was out and about, after his little downfall in health in the last few weeks.

"Well, uh, it appears that a little rest heals all maladies," Stein spoke, causing Sophia to smile. But it was a moment later that his face fell, and he stumbled with his words before cringing in pain.

"Professor?" Sophia asked, and a second later, he burst into blue flames, scalding her hand as she got too close.

"Get back!" Barry grabbed Sophia's wrist, pulling her back, and holding his arm out to prevent Cisco and Caitlin from moving forward just yet. The flames finally died down and Stein collapsed to the ground, spasms travelling through his body as though he was having a seizure.

"Professor Stein!" Caitlin yelled. "Can you hear me, Professor Stein?!"

"What happened to him? He went up like Firestorm, but the flame, why was it blue?"

"I don't know. This isn't good," Barry said.

"We need to stabilise him and fast," Sophia ordered, looking to Caitlin and they both got to work, determination set on their faces as they tried to save their friend.

* * *

 **A/N – To be quite honest with you all I wasn't going to update this week. My anxiety has been at an all time high since I found out that my story had been stolen and uploaded to wattpad, and even though it has been removed, it's still triggered my anxiety. I just feel sick constantly. It's disgusting that someone would even think to do this, and I urge anyone who see's stolen copies of ANY story to report them.** _ **It is illegal**_ **.**

 **To those of you who don't know, long story short, my story got stolen a few times, it has now thankfully been removed but I still feel like absolute shit.**

 **This story will be updated roughly every 2 weeks. So if it's less than 14 days, please do not ask for a update. I'm in a very stressful period of my life right now, with exams, work, sick family members and my own mental health.**

 **But thank you to all for your kind words of inspiration, motivation and love that you left on Fight or Flight. You are all truly great people, and I'm so happy to have your support through this all. It's just going to take time for me to get back into the groove of things.**

 **I know I usually reply to reviews here, but I'm just not feeling up to it this week, I will reply to everyone I can via PM when I get a chance, but thanks for all your support and I'm happy you are all looking forward to more. Thank you again for all the new faves/follows/reviews. I love all of you guys, and I'm so sorry again for all this drama.**

 **Heroherondale. x**


	7. Guess Who's Back

CHAPTER SEVEN

Coming into work that morning, Sophia never thought this would happen. She had been in a hostage situation once before, but this time, things were different. There were other people in danger. Innocent people, and she couldn't just stand by and watch them die… watch them get hurt. They were her patients at this hospital and it was her duty to protect them. She felt a surge of courage overcome the fear that pulsed through her veins and she made the choice to act rather than stay still.

Joe had pleaded with her over the phone, he had told her to stay put until Barry could get there. But she knew that he was all the way across town dealing with another Meta gone wrong when they had tried to re-create the Firestorm bond to save Professor Stein. She knew that situation was far more difficult than the one she was currently stuck in, and that's how she knew she had to be the one to take the stand. To be the one to make the sacrifice. She felt like that's all she was good for these days, but she tried not to let it get to her as she ran up the flight of stairs to the rooftop of Central City hospital, running away from the very man who use to haunt her dreams.

That's how Sophia found herself free falling from the rooftop of Central City hospital after a bolt of electricity hit her chest. Her brown eyes were wild, her hair whipping in the wind, as her body soared through the air for what she felt would be the last time.

This time, she wasn't so sure she would be able to escape the clutches of death.

* * *

 _9 hours earlier._

Darkness surrounded him as he waited for Zoom to arrive. He had been standing out here on the cold front of the dock for hours now awaiting his next instructions. He knew that the only way to repay his debt was to pledge his services to the dark speedster, even if it was making a deal with the devil. It was his only way out.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Zoom came rushing into the room, leaving a spark of blue lightning trailing behind him as he came to a stop in front of Blackout, his stance tall and strong as towered over Blackout.

"I have a job for you," Zoom said, his gruff voice putting Blackout on edge. He was truly a fearsome thing to behold, and it reminded Blackout of why he was doing this, _why he had to do this_. "I'm need you to kill someone."

"Say the words, and it's done."

"I need you to kill someone on a different earth," Zoom said and Blackout looked at him with wide eyes. He had heard rumours from other Meta's that there were breaches open to other earths but he hadn't believed them, until now that is. "Do this, and I will bring you back to a life of freedom... Fail to do so, and paying off your debt will be the least of your worries."

"Who do you want me to kill?" Blackout asked without hesitation.

"A nurse at Central City Hospital. Her name is, Sophia Lang."

* * *

 _7 hours earlier._

The team was rushing around, all of them in a hurry to help Professor Stein, whose body was essentially collapsing because he didn't have a partner, a second halve of firestorm. They had spent a majority of their time trying to stabilise him using whatever technology they had available as a dupe for his original power source, but they weren't sure how long things would last. Cisco was brainstorming ideas with both Caitlin and even Jay as Sophia and Barry tried to come up with a new idea of options for him. Caitlin had suggested that perhaps they need to find a new candidate to replace Ronnie's missing half.

"We gotta figure out a way to save him," Barry said, pacing just outside the room that the Professor was now resting in.

"I think I might know how to do that," Caitlin spoke up, moving over to them with a tablet to show them a recent bio-scan of Stein that she had taken. "When the Particle Accelerator exploded, the dark matter that collided with Professor Stein fused with the Firestorm matrix and altered the normal molecular processes that occur within his body. Those highly reactive molecules needed something to bond with in order to stabilise and that's where Ronnie came in," Caitlin explained.

"Yes, and now that Ronnie is no longer a part of Professor Stein-"

"The molecules have nothing to bond with," Sophia finished, fiddling with her fingers anxiously.

"And the longer he goes without merging, the more unstable he becomes," Caitlin said, glancing back to the Professor who was laying in the bed, moving with unease and pain. Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead, and his face was pale, the lack of colour unnerving as they struggled to find a solution.

"All right, so what do we do?" Barry asked.

"We find another…participant."

"Okay, cool, so how do we do that?"

"Are we just gonna make a Tinder app for potential meta-humans?" Cisco asked sarcastically. "Cause I'm pretty sure merging with Stein and randomly bursting into flames sounds like the biggest swipe left of all time," Cisco finished.

"Cisco, we're all stressed, no need for the snark," Sophia berated and he let out a long sigh, sinking back into his chair.

"I mean even if we could find someone willing, Stein can't just merge with whoever he wants," Barry pointed out.

"No he can't, but I have done some research and found two potential candidates that might be compatible with him. They were both affected by the dark matter, and they were both admitted to the hospital showing symptoms of gene rearrangement mutation. And they both share the same blood type as Professor Stein and Ronnie."

" _Hey_ , I recognise that guy Jefferson. He came into the ER pretty banged up after the explosion, he's a good kid," Sophia said as Caitlin threw up the images of the two candidates on screen. She remembered him being with them for quite a while at the hospital.

"All right..."

"I mean, this is more than organ donation. We'll need more than tissue typing to see if their bodies are compatible. If I can isolate the genetic locus of the two candidates and cross-reference it with the mutations in Professor Stein I might be able to find a match and save his life," Caitlin said and they were all on board.

"What do you need to do that?" Barry asked, a grin forming on his lips.

* * *

 _6 hours earlier._

Caitlin had sent Barry on his way to fetch blood samples from each of the candidates, and Sophia tended to Professor Stein with the help of Cisco whilst they awaited Caitlin's analysis of the results.

They were all terribly worried about the Professor. Not only was Firestorm taking a toll on his mental health now that Ronnie had gone, but it was affecting him physically, and for someone of his age, they knew it wouldn't be long until it caused some serious damage, especially if they couldn't fix him and fast. He had become like family and they were determined to save him.

Sophia patted a cold cloth on Steins forehead as Cisco did the same on his neck, and arms. They were trying their best to cool him down, but even with the new power stabiliser that Cisco had created, Stein was still heating up. Sophia was about to ring out the cloth and soak it with some new cold water when her phone buzzed in her pocket.

She answered the phone in a heartbeat after seeing that it was coming from reception at the ER at CC Hospital.

"Soph, we need you in the ER as soon as you can, there was a freak lightning strike down at the docks, and we're drowning in work, there are too many patients and we're understaffed," Cassie said on the phone.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Sophia replied without hesitating. "Guys, there was an attack down at the docks, sounds like it might have been a Meta," Sophia announced and Cisco quickly did a search as they moved out of the room and into the main area of the cortex.

"There was an unexpected surge of lightning activity in that area, but nothing out of the ordinary," Cisco said with a frown. "We'll keep an eye on it."

"Will you be able to handle this?" Sophia asked, referring to Steins problem.

"Yeah, we've got this. I'll see you later." Barry nodded, confirming. She gave Stein a worried glance for goodbye, hoping they would be able to sort this out. Sophia grabbed her jacket, slipping it on as she ran out the door, not before planting a chaste kiss on Barry's lips before heading to her car in a rush to get to the hospital.

When Cassie had said that they were understaffed, she was mistaken. In fact, it seemed like every employee was there, there were just too many people injured. The paramedics were bringing in patients faster than they were treating them, and that is where the issue lay. Sophia was astounded that they hadn't picked it up on their systems earlier at Star Labs. Surely a freak attack this big would have come up on their radar. She had a nagging feeling that this was the work of a meta-human, she just hoped that it wasn't another breacher.

Dressed in her scrubs after a quick change in their locker room, Sophia was running around the ER with gloved hands as she tried to track down a bowl that she could fill with cold water and ice. The patient she was tending to had rough burns that needed to be cooled immediately. But they were currently out of ice-packs, other patients already using them. She grabbed the bowl, and filled it up with the coldest water available in the tap, and dunked in a whole bunch of ice cubs, to cool it down. She grabbed a few packets of bandages on the way back before she made her way to the patients bedside.

"Hey there, Sam. How you holding up?" Sophia asked, placing the bowel on her bedside as she grabbed the remote on the bed, pressing the button to elevate it to her height, making it easier for her to help with the burns that were now marring the leg of this seventeen year old girl.

"A bit better, I think the injection you gave me earlier is starting to work, it feels numb," Sam mumbled, trying to focus on Sophia's face and not looking down at her legs that had been on fire earlier today. Sophia had to admire the young girl. She knew that most in this situation would have been crying out and yelling, but this girl had remained strong through the entirety of her stay.

"That's good sweetie," Sophia said, giving her a strong smile. "Listen love, I'm just going to pat down on your legs with this cold bandage, you might feel a little sting at first, but it should subside. If it hurts too much, let me know and I'll stop, okay?"

"Okay," Sam managed to get out, closing her eyes as she tried to be strong.

"Just take deep breaths. You're gonna be fine, Sam. I can see you're a fighter," Sophia told the girl. She pressed the soaked bandages on her leg with gloved hands, applying a light pressure. Sam squirmed a little bit in the bed, but she was hanging on. "You're hairs a nice colour, what made you want to dye it blue?" Sophia asked, hoping the question would take Sam's mind off the pain.

"I-uh, it might sound stupid, but when I heard that Sapphire flew up into that big blue wormhole thing to save us all that day and she never came back, I felt sad. She did so much for this city, and it was sort of my way of thanking her," Sam said, a wry smile on her face. "Plus, the dark blue looked better than my natural dirty blonde locks."

"Wow, that's really nice of you, I'm sure the she would have appreciated it," Sophia told Sam earnestly with a grateful smile. Sam's story warmed her heart and it almost made her want to cry. "All right, how does that feel now?" Sophia asked, throwing the red stained bandage to the side and placing a new cold and clean one on top of her thigh where the burn was, wrapping it lightly enough to cover the burn without constricting it.

"Better, it definitely doesn't hurt as much as it did before," Sam said, letting out a breath of relief. "What's going to happen to it? Will it scar?" Sam asked Sophia.

"It might scar a little bit, but the doctor can give you some creams and medications to reduce it. In a few months it won't be as bad. But for now, we need to keep it cool and it should be fine," Sophia told Sam.

"Thank you," Sam said earnestly.

"No worries, sweetheart. I'm going to go help some other patients out, if you need me, press this button and I'll come running," Sophia told Sam, grabbing the buzzer on the bed side and placing it in reach.

"Cool."

"But for now, just try to get some rest. The rest of the medication should kick through soon and you'll feel sleepy soon enough. I'll check on you in a bit." Sophia tapped the IV bag, hoping that the medication she put through a few minutes ago would go through the line soon, and Sam could rest.

Sam sent Sophia a smile of thanks before she closed her eyes, resting her head against the pillow in the bed, trying her best to relax. Her mother and father were stuck in Metropolis for the weekend, and would only make it to the hospital the following day. But Sam was glad that she had someone so nice taking care of her.

* * *

 _5 hours earlier_.

It had only been two hours, but Sophia felt as though she had been at the hospital for days. Her legs were burning from running back and forth between patients, the supply room and the medication room, and she regretted not doing enough cardio throughout the week because it was seriously talking a toll on her calves today. The ER was beyond chaotic and it wasn't slowing down. There had been another lightning attack, this time closer to the city, and more and more people had been injured. Sophia whipped her phone out of her pocket as she managed to squeeze past one of the doctors and run down the side hall to make an important call.

"Cisco, there was another attack, exactly like the one at the docks. We've got more and more people coming in, has anything come up on the scanners?" Sophia asked.

"Yeah, it's a breacher from Earth 2, but we can't deal with him because we've got a raging second half of Firestorm on our hands that might cause a nuclear explosion and kill us all if we can't disarm him," Cisco rushed out. The clock was ticking and they were all running out of time.

"Hurry, I know this guy isn't as big of a threat as whatever you've got going on, but people are getting hurt."

"We'll try our best. I already called Joe, the CCPD anti-meta human task force is on it, so let's hope they can keep him at bay until Barry can get over there," Cisco said.

"Sure thing, keep me posted."

Shoving her phone into her pocket, Sophia quickly grabbed her bottle of water from the nurses station and gulped down at least half of it before throwing it back down on the desk and moving off to help more people.

She had been busy wrapping up an old lady's right arm with a soothing cool gel and bandages when Brian ran into her. He looked more frazzled than ever, and a bad feeling started to settle in the pit of her stomach.

"There's been another attack," Brian said as he jogged over to her, trying to catch his breath. Sophia's eyes were wide, and there was an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. That made it the third attack this day. This wasn't good, and by the looks of it, the person responsible was heading closer and closer to the inner parts of Central City, and that meant into areas that were more populated, which meant more people in danger.

" _Another one?!_ Where?"

"Just three blocks from here," Brian informed her. Sophia frowned in confusion, and continued her work, finishing up the quick mending job before leaving the old lady named Emma to rest.

"I'm heading out to the site now with paramedics to transfer them to the hospital and do some onsite treatment, which means you're in charge of the ER with Aisha until I get back," Brian told her.

"Uh, okay, no problem." Sophia was glad that she had been paired up with Aisha. She knew that between her and the Aisha, the confident girl in the blue headscarf, they would be able to handle the ER.

"I'll take the front, and you can get the back," Aisha told Sophia as she rushed by with a metal dressing trolley.

"No worries, let's get to work then." Sophia could already feel herself sweating, they were moving too fast, and it would only get more hectic as time went on.

There were around ten nurses working under her in the back area of the ER that held over 30 beds, along with teams of doctors and other health professionals as they did their best to attend to the patients, and the steady flow that kept being admitted to the hospital. Most had come in with burns, or lacerations and cuts from being in the vicinity of the attacks. They were lucky that the death toll was sitting at a firm zero and they planned to keep it that way. But that didn't meant that the attacks weren't as bad. There were at least three patients that had been admitted to the ICU already due to their fragile state. Upon hearing the news, Sophia prayed that the team would be on it and quick. She knew that if they didn't fix the other problem first then they would all be toast anyway. She tried not to think about the fact that if they didn't get things under wraps that their entire city would go up in flames.

* * *

 _3 hours earlier._

Joe was stationed outside Central City Hospital with the anti-meta-human task force after a distressed call from Cisco. They were still taking care of their Firestorm issue, but Sophia needed help, and Joe was their next best bet.

"Judging by the pattern of attacks, they're heading for the hospital," Sophia told Joe as he walked through the ER. His task force remained posted outside, keeping an eye out for any signs of the meta-human.

"I know, Cisco called and told me everything. Barry will be here as soon as he can."

"I hope it's soon, because the toll for the injured has already hit 47." Joe frowned. "And that's only the ones in the ER. Brian is out with the paramedics a few blocks down at the latest site, and I don't know how many more they're going to bring in." She was exhausted and run down and she wasn't sure how much longer any of them would be able to keep up with the workload. They were all running off pure adrenaline at this point, add in a Meta-human that was heading towards them for some unknown reason, and Sophia was sure she was just one wrong step away from falling off the edge.

"Hang tight, you're doing good here. We'll take care of the rest. Don't worry, Barry will be there, he always is," Joe said, placing a hand on her shoulder. His reassurance did wonders and she let out a heavy sigh before rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands.

"Thanks Joe. I think the stress is making me more nervous," Sophia said, letting out a shaky laugh.

"You want a coffee? I can get Iris to drop by when you have your break?" Joe offered and Sophia shook her head, looking down at the small nurse's watch that hung from her scrubs. She didn't have time to take a break.

"I don't think I'll get a chance to take a break-," Before Sophia could get the words out of her mouth a loud bang went off, like a popping sound in the distance before the power went out in the hospital. From there, chaos erupted and Sophia and Joe jumped into action.

Some people were screaming, others yelling to calm down and then the lights came back on, a dull orange hue indicating the back-ups were on. Sophia was just terrified that the power directed to the life-supporting systems had gone down. Darkness they could work with, but if a patient's oxygen suddenly turned off, or an IV pump had failed, they would be in serious trouble.

"What's going on?" Joe asked, picking up the radio that sat on his belt.

"Power supply has been cut to the hospital, but the back-up generators are coming back on," Patty said through the line. "I'm going to the back to check it out."

"Take someone with you, Patty," Joe instructed and she confirmed that she was going with a team of four before signing off.

"You should probably go out front, there's nothing much you can do in here for us Joe," Sophia said, not waiting for a response before she jumped back into action, trying to calm down the unease that flowed through most of the patients.

* * *

 _20 minutes earlier._

"That voice, it sounds familiar. Who is that?" Sophia whispered her question through the phone to Joe. The breacher had wormed his way into the hospital and was taking hostages.

He had set out on a mission to capture a particular nurse by the name of Sophia Lang. Surprise, Surprise. Joe had instructed her not to give in and to in fact hide in the hospital, so that's what she was currently doing, but she knew that she couldn't do it for much longer.

He hadn't killed anyone just yet, but he was certainly on his way to injuring more people and she wasn't about to let him do that.

"Is that who I think it is?" Sophia breathed out in disbelief. She had put the pieces together and she was finally sure of who it was. Farooq Gibran. It was Blackout, and he was out for her head. "It's Blackout, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's him from Earth two," Joe said. "Don't worry, Barry will be there soon." Even though he said those words, he didn't really believe them. Barry and the team were still struggling to take care of the nuclear issue with the rogue Firestorm candidate.

"Joe, I can't let anyone get hurt. H-He said he wouldn't hurt anyone else if I give myself up," Sophia said through the phone. The battery was close to dying and she knew that if she was going to do this then she at least had to tell Joe. She knew Barry wouldn't let her down. She knew he would be there.

"No, Sophia you can't, it's too dangerous." Joe was one of few left outside of the hospital after Blackout had attacked them once again. They couldn't get into the hospital because of the threat that Blackout would hurt others inside.

"Back-up is on it's way, and so is Barry, just hang tight."

Sophia's phone then died of battery, the red light flashing three times before it went out, the screen turning black. From her spot on the floor she curled up into a smaller ball in the corner of the empty room and tried to clear her mind, thinking of what she could do next. If she just stayed here, then Blackout would either injure more people or start killing them off. He had given her an hour to get there, and she had already used up a good forty-five minutes of it already. She knew that Barry would always come for her, but in this situation she needed to make a decision. She needed to decide.

Fight or Flight.

That was always the greatest question posed to her in her life.

The longer she sat there, the longer she heard the cries of scared patients, staff, friends that were in there, she couldn't maintain her resolve. She cursed under her breath before standing up and walking out of the room and down the empty corridor to where Farooq was.

"And she finally shows her face," Farooq said as he watched Sophia walk into the room. He noted that she was much different to the one from his earth, he could tell by the way she held herself, but there was that similarity in the way her eyes looked at him straight on with a strength that only she could carry. He knew it was her, and he was ready to carry out Zooms wishes.

Sophia noted that Blackout was wearing a suit that was combined with a mixture of suede and leather materials, all dark in nature. His eyes were a bright green, and she could almost see the electricity trailing through them. She remembered their first encounter, and she knew that the only way to defeat him was to overload him with electrical energy. The problem here being that she would have to wait for Barry to arrive for that to even happen. She just had to distract him for now.

She held her hands up in front of her in an act of surrender, hoping that he wouldn't shoot her just yet.

"Farooq, I presume," Sophia spoke, her words stronger than how she felt inside.

"It's Blackout."

"Right, Blackout." She gulped, taking a step forward closer. "Why don't we take this conversation outside. I'm here, you've got what you want."

" _Ha_ , outside so your friends at the CCPD can shoot me down?" Farooq asked, cocking his head. "Or at least _try_ to shoot me." He was quite smug with the fact that he had managed to hurt so many people, and by the angry look on Sophia's face he could see that it was getting to her.

"The roof, we can go to the roof. Just away from these innocent people. They're hurt and they need to recover, and with you here they can't do that," Sophia said, trying to appeal to any part of his humanity that may have been left. Even though the Farooq of this world had tried to hurt them and kill Wells, he was just a man that had been wronged, a man that didn't have control over his powers. She knew there was humanity left in that man, but the one standing before her looked void of it completely.

He seemed to contemplate her words for a moment before agreeing. He nodded his head and told her to walk in front of him up to the stairs that would take them to the roof.

"Keep walking." He nudged her back roughly with his gloved hands when she started to walk a bit slower and she took in deep breaths to steady her heart rate as she climbed the stairs. She was glad that it was a few floors up, knowing this would at least waste some time as they walked up there.

She now found herself standing across from Blackout on the rooftop, her back closer to the edge than she would have liked, but it's just how things turned out. He stood there with an open posture, like he was ready to strike at any moment. The bright sun was no longer in the sky, and instead the moon was hung in its place. It was hard to see Blackout's face in the darkness of the night, but she was glad at least that they were isolated, away from others that could be caught in the crossfire.

"Why did you want me?" Sophia's hands stood firmly by her side and she tried her very best not to let the tremor in her hands visible. She had been wondering this for the last hour or so, and she hoped he would grace her with a clear answer. Did Zoom send him like he sent the others to kill Barry, or did he come of his own free will and volition to kill her? She was just so unsure of what was going on these days and she was honestly so sick of it. So sick of feeling helpless like she did in this very moment.

"Let's just say we know each other where I come from, and I'm more than happy to settle the score with this version of you," Farooq said, avoiding her question. Zoom had given him explicit instructions not to inform her that he had been sent by the speedster. For some reason he didn't want her to know that she was on his target list just yet.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're lying?" It wasn't even a second later that Blackout had thrown a bolt of electricity towards the ground before her, scorching the rooftop as she yelped, her feet shuffling backwards and away from the fire.

"Any last words?" Blackout asked and she wanted to cringe, but her face remained stoic.

"Don't hurt anyone else. They don't deserve it. You kill me, you get what you want, you leave," Sophia said.

Farooq could feel the fire burning inside his chest with hatred for her. Even when she was the victim, even when she was about to die she was thinking of others, she had the power. The way she wielded her words and kept her head held high was enough to set him off. He had no other engagements, no qualms with the people of this earth. He had caused enough damage already. All he wanted to do was kill her, and report back to Zoom. A storm of bright glistening electricity sprouted from his hands, colliding with the middle of her chest, her body toppling off the edge of the roof she had been standing on, her body freefalling through the air.

As soon as the electricity had hit her, she could feel the burning sensation travel through her body, she could feel that something wasn't right, and this time she wasn't so sure she would make it out alive.

Her scrubs whipped in the wind as her descent continued when her eyes faintly caught a streak of red travelling down the windows of the building. A small smile graced her lips as she felt Barry's arms around her, keeping her secure in his hold. But as they made it to the ground, her eyes had already fallen shut.

Barry had let out a sigh of relief as they disarmed the man so bent on destroying Central City, but before he could take a moment to relax he bolted over to CC Hospital, and just in time it seemed. His eyes caught Sophia's body as she fell through the air in slow motion as he moved quickly to catch her, his feet bounding on the glass windows of the building to build up enough momentum and speed to match her fall and catch her.

It was when he reached the ground that he realised something was wrong. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving, in fact, she wasn't breathing.

"Caitlin, she's not breathing!" Barry yelled into his comm. the panic taking over.

"Start CPR now," Caitlin instructed and just as Barry moved to place his hands over the scorch mark on her chest to start compressions, Sophia's eyes burst open, her iris's glowing a bright blue.

"What-what's happening?" Barry breathed out, unsure of what to do. He could see the rise and fall of her chest, and it was evident that she was breathing again, but her eyes were still glowing and she remained still as she lay on the cold ground. Barry quickly picked her up in his arms and ran her back to Star Labs, dropping her off in the med bay where Caitlin, Cisco and Jay jumped in to save her life.

He wanted nothing more than to stand by her side, to brush the hair away from her face, to pepper her cheeks with kisses, to hold her hand. He could feel his emotions bubbling over as he took that millisecond to watch her lay there on the bed. But he couldn't do that. He needed to stop Blackout. His panic, worry and sadness fuelled his speed as he moved faster, ready to take out the villain that nearly took so much from him.

"I was only sent here to kill your pretty girlfriend, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to take you down as well," Farooq said as he turned around, firing electricity away at Barry who ran around him in circles in an attempt to evade him.

Barry focused and tried to remember how they had defeated him previously, and suddenly the idea clicked in his head. Barry's leather clad feet came to a stop as he determined which direction he would be running in, and before Blackout could do a thing, he was off. His feet moved, and he evened his breath as he focused, feeling the speed force run through him, feeling the electricity charge through his body. He spun around one last time, bringing his arm back as he pulled a Zeus, the yellow bolt of lightning crashing against Blackout, sending him flying across the roof and into some generators, electricity sparking all around. Farooq slumped to the ground, his head bleeding lightly as he lay there unconscious.

Barry had taken Blackout back to Star Labs, throwing his pathetic body into a cell and locking him up. Barry knew that Joe was still at the hospital doing damage control and when he had run back into the cortex, he asked Cisco to give him a call and inform him of what happened.

His footsteps were fast as he walked into the med-bay to see Caitlin standing by Sophia's side with her tablet in hand. He pulled off the hood of his suit as he sat down in the seat next to the bed, grabbing Sophia's hand in his own, holding onto it firmly, but with a gentle touch. They felt cold, and he told himself that she was still there, that she wasn't dead.

"Is she going to be okay?"

"I'm not sure... Her heart rate, blood pressure, everything is normal, I've just got her on a bit of oxygen," Caitlin said as Barry turned to look at the nasal prongs that sat delicately on Sophia's face. "I'll probably put her on some IV fluids as soon as I can. But, her eyes kept glowing brighter and brighter before it went away. They're responding to light now which is good, it means that she doesn't have any neurological damage."

"Why were her eyes glowing? She doesn't have her powers anymore, she lost them when she came back to our earth." Barry was confused and scared for her wellbeing. He knew that the last time she had been struck by Blackout's lightning it had trigged her meta-human gene, and brought it to the surface.

"I think history's repeating itself," Caitlin said solemnly as she looked down at Sophia's face. "I'm not sure how long it will be til she wakes up. It could be hours, days… I'm not sure. But I do know that she's going to be okay. She's too strong to give up."

Caitlin gave Barry a small smile before she moved off to gather her equipment to put in a cannula and set up the IV, leaving Barry to sit by her bedside.

His green eyes watched her face carefully, and he felt a heavy weight in his chest. He had promised to protect her, he had lost her once and he had nearly lost her again today. He just hoped that whatever happened next, she would be alright. But he had a strong feeling that the Sapphire Knight was about to return.

* * *

 **SAY WHAT?**

 **Of course, I wasn't going to get rid of her powers completely… ;) But not everything's going to be hunky dory from now on. Hope you enjoyed that parallel... how Blackout was the one to sort of activate her powers in the first series, and now again here. This chapter was so much fun to write, especially with this new layout, it made it more suspenseful.**

 **Also I will reply to reviews via PM when I get a chance. But to all the Guest reviewers, thank you so much. I've just been hella busy, and thus the delayed updates. This will honestly continue for the next month or two until I get back on my two feet. I'm just swamped with work, and life. But I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter, thank you again for all your love and support.**

 **As usual, the next chapter will be updated in 10-14 days from today, so around the 7th or 8th of October, depending on how insane my schedule is.**

 **Til next time.**

 **\- Heroherondale.**


	8. The Darkness & The Light

CHAPTER EIGHT

To say this week had been a bumpy ride was the understatement of the year.

The rain poured down in a relentless attack upon Central City, leaving most of the civilians that had to commute for work or school feeling down in their depths as they tried their very best not to become soaked in the cold waters that rained from above. It had been this way for a few days now and it wasn't doing anything to improve Barry's sour mood.

He felt more exhausted than anything lately. Tired of the attacks from meta-humans sent by Zoom from another earth, tired of surprises that shocked his poor heart. He was just so _tired_. It was only the next day when he had ran a quick patrol around Central City after taking care of Blackout that he had been surprise attacked by a meta-human that was more shark than human. Patty had jumped to his rescue, firing bullets at the shark in an attempt to release The Flash from the deathly grip the shark had around his neck, but this attempt had been unsuccessful. Just when Barry feared that he wouldn't be able to squeeze his way out of this one, a brooding man in a dark hood had emerged from the sidelines. The man lifted his gun up, drawing the top of it back as it charged up before he released an almost white blast of electrical energy that hit the meta directly in the back causing him to release Barry before fleeing from the scene, the blast doing more than just disarming him for a moment. But what had surprised Barry more than this mysterious person appearing out of thin air was his identity as he removed the hood covering his face. Gasping for air, Barry had looked up to see that his saviour was the one and only Harrison Wells, and things had just gotten more bizarre from then on.

Barry had taken Harrison back to Star Labs where he and the others interrogated him, trying to get to the bottom of things. Harry as Cisco dubbed him, was from Earth two, and had travelled through the breach with one specific task at hand. He was adamant about aiding Barry and his team in their search for Zoom, promising that he would be able to help them take down the devil himself, if they would let him. Cisco and Caitlin were reluctant, and became even more so once they had seen the way that Jay had reacted to the arrival of Harry. Barry on the other hand was actually relieved. He hoped that with the brilliant mind of Harry working with their team that they would be able to come up with a solution to their speedster problem, and the rush of Meta-humans being dropped off in their home town.

That was a few days ago, and now Barry was just trying to get use to the fact that he was back, even though he wasn't the same man, even though he was nothing like his Earth one counterpart, or at least the mutated version of him that they had come to know.

But now, Barry was laying his head against his shoulder, a knitted blanket draped across his body as he spent yet another night holed up in the med-bay. He didn't want to leave Sophia's side, not until he knew that she would be fine. It had been over a week since the incident, and though Joe had taken care of the issue regarding her public appearance and work, Barry still worried. He had called Arthur to inform him of Sophia's condition, making sure to let him know that she would be alright, and that he would call him as soon as she woke up. But he hadn't felt this unsure in a long time. He wasn't sure what would happen when she woke up. Would she have her powers back? Did they just appear at the last second to save her? He had no idea what was going on, and even Caitlin was baffled by the results of her detailed assessments, claiming that they would just have to wait until she woke up from her slumber before they could determine the true consequences of her actions that day. Barry rubbed the side of his neck as he tried to get comfortable in the seat, but it was hard to considering his long and lanky body. He was glad that he had at least caught up on some sleep the previous night after reluctantly going home to their apartment for a power nap before coming back in the early hours of the morning to be by her side. He felt terrible leaving Sophia in Caitlin's sole care, but Cisco and Iris had also been taking turns watching over her, and he couldn't have been gladder to have such an amazing group of friends.

" _Barry_." Her voice was soft as she murmured his name in her sleep, but it was loud enough to rouse him from his drooping state.

"Soph." He moved closer to see her eyelids fluttering open, her brown eyes meeting his.

"What happened?"

"Thank god you're alright," Barry breathed out, pulling her into a hug. He buried his head into the crook of her neck, her hair that had been fanned across the pillow, now covering most of his face, but he didn't care. She took in a deep breath and he could feel the rise and fall of her chest beneath him. He could feel her pulse beating away and he took a second to savour the moment. _She's fine, she's safe._

"I can't remember much, only that Blackout was coming after me," Sophia said to Barry as he pulled away from the tight embrace. "Something about Zoom sending him." She used the back of her hands to rub the sleep from her eyes, finding that they focused better after she had blinked a few times, clearing her vision.

"Zoom sent him to kill you just like he sent those other Meta's after me," Barry said. "For some reason, he wants us dead." The thought alone of it happening again was enough to secure the notion and desire to find Zoom and end it once and for all. He didn't want this to be a regular occurrence, and he knew that if they didn't get to the source of their problem, it would never end.

"Why do I feel off, like something isn't right," Sophia whispered to Barry as she looked down at her hands. She closed her eyes for a second feeling light headed and Barry supported her with his arm, his worried gaze on her and when she opened her eyes, they were glowing once more. She felt breathless for a moment before she blinked and her eyes returned to their natural hue.

"Bar, what just happened?" She sounded very disorientated and the pale tone of her skin wasn't reassuring him that she was alright, but he did his best to calm her down.

"It's okay," He told her trying to get her to relax. Her breathing was slightly erratic and he knew that if she continued to panic it would only result in an anxiety attack.

"Everything was blue," Sophia said in disbelief. "Why was everything blue? That hasn't happened since-," She trailed off when it clicked in her head. She had her powers back. That was the only explanation. She hadn't felt this way in a long time, and she wasn't sure how to take it. A smile found its way onto her lips and she let out a shaky sob. "My-my powers. I have them back," She breathed out, a stray tear escaping from her eye. She knew that Barry had told her that they would find a way to get her powers back, but she had been positively sure that it would never happen, and Caitlin had confirmed that for her a few months back. But now, sitting here and finally having some form of normality return, she never felt lighter.

"Caitlin said that the effects might have been the same. Just like the first time your meta-human gene was activated," Barry explained.

"I have no idea how this happened," Sophia said, looking down at her hands as she made them glow a bright cobalt, wisps of energy travelling off her fingertips. She could feel the rush of energy surge within her and she felt at ease. "But I'm so glad that it did."

"How are you feeling?" Barry asked, brushing away some hair from her face, his hand resting on her cheek.

"A little light headed," Sophia murmured. "But I'll be alright. What time is it?" She asked, her eyes darting around the room. There was a small light on in their room, but other than that it was dark outside.

"It's nearly six in the morning, the others should be in soon."

"Can't we go home?" Sophia asked, and his heart soared at the word. _Home_. Their home.

"Caitlin needs to check up on you before we do anything. We're not sure what effect Blackout had on you, we need to make sure that you're okay, that you're safe," Barry said and she closed her eyes letting out a sigh and nodding her head. She moved to rest her head against Barry's chest and his arms wrapped around her, holding her close.

"Okay."

"That was really reckless of you, going out there without your powers," Barry berated. He had tried not to think about it much, not to be angry at her, and he wasn't, he really wasn't. He was just amazed that once again she had surprised him with her selflessness.

"Ugh, I know, believe me I can still feel it," Sophia said letting out a shaky laugh. "I had to do something Barry, he was going to hurt more people, I-I couldn't do nothing."

"I know," Barry breathed out. "But I swear to god you give me a heart attack every time." She laughed at his last comment and pressed a kiss to his collarbone before nuzzling closer in his embrace.

"I'm sorry," She yawned slowly.

"No need to apologise, just promise me you'll be more careful."

"I've got my powers back now so, you don't need to worry your pretty little head." Barry moved back, dipping his head, his lips meeting hers in a slow kiss, and for the first time in the last week Barry felt as though he could finally relax.

* * *

Sophia had fallen asleep, curled up in Barry's arms as they awaited Caitlin's arrival to Star Labs that morning. She was nudged awake gently by Barry and had then been sent off for tests to get run. Caitlin was thorough if anything and had done x-rays, blood tests, and even a MRI, and it had taken a lot of out her. It had been a few hours and she was beyond tired even though she had slept for over a week.

She had sent Barry off on a coffee run and to pick up some food and spare clothes from home for her. Cisco was sitting at his desk, typing away as usual and she was sure that Jay was off working on the speed canon. Sophia had chatted quickly with Joe on the phone whilst Caitlin took some blood, reassuring him that she was alright. Joe had told her that he had come up with a cover story for her going missing that night at the hospital and the days following and she was never more thankful for Joe being a cop than she was in the last six months. It was a short call, but Joe was relieved to hear that she was doing well, and promised to pass the news onto Iris who was busy down at the CCPN that morning as she finished writing her article that actually featured Sophia's bravery from the days previous, ready to set it to the hot press for the next morning along with Linda as they collaborated on a piece. Iris had insisted only on publishing it once Sophia had recovered, and it gave her ample time to work with her father to make sure that none of their secrets got out.

Sophia closed her eyes, blinking them open in a haze as she felt her the blood pressure cuff around her arm tighten as Caitlin ran another set of obs on her to make sure that she was stable when she saw _him_ walk into the cortex. The face that haunted her for so long. Never did she ever think in her wildest nightmares that she would have to see the face of this evil again, but alas the universe had other plans. Harrison Wells had strolled into the cortex, dressed in black jeans and a top, looking casual as ever. Sophia practically leapt out of her seat, ripping the blood pressure cuff off her arm as she flew into the other room. She could feel the anger bubbling up inside at the very sight of him and all she could feel was rage, rage and more rage.

"What are you doing here?" She yelled out viciously, her eyes blazing their ethereal cobalt.

"How are you here?!" Sophia's hands wrapped around Wells neck as she slammed him back against the wall. He looked visibly pale as he saw her face, and she wasn't sure if it was because he was afraid of her or the fact that she was crushing his airway with her fingers pressing on his trachea. Wisps of energy emanated off her and it was a beautiful sight to behold, well it would have been if she wasn't so intent on killing their new guest, Cisco had mused to himself. Before he could jump in, Barry had rushed into the room, bringing a gust of wind trailing behind him as usual.

"What the hell is going on?!" Barry asked as he rushed into the room, putting down the hot cups of coffee on the table before moving over to separate Sophia and Wells.

"Does someone want to explain to me why Eobard Thawne is standing in front of me?" Sophia's voice was steady but everyone could see the fear and anger written across her face, even after her eyesight returned to their natural palette.

Wells coughed violently, as he stood back up, rubbing his throat that was now bruised red with imprints of her fingers, trying to catch his breath. "How many times do I have to say that I'm Harrison Wells, but _not_ the Wells of this Earth?"

" _What?"_

"He's from Earth 2, he's the real Harrison Wells, its not Eobard Thawne. He came through the breach and he saved me," Barry quickly explained. The air was thick with tension as Barry stood between Sophia and Wells, leaving Cisco and Caitlin to watch wearily from the sidelines.

"This doesn't make any sense," Sophia closed her eyes for a second, pressing a hand to her forehead. "So he's not-he's not the Reverse-Flash?" She hated that her voice was so weak in that moment, all her insecurities carrying through her tone.

"It's not him." Barry shook his head. He could see the pain in her eyes. He took her hands in his own, bringing her back down to reality.

"I prefer to call him Harry, it just makes things a bit…easier," Cisco said, placing a hand on Sophia's shoulder as he walked over.

"Okay, I- just, I wasn't expecting this," Sophia managed to get out in between her shaky breaths. "Bloody gone for a week, and this happens."

"Believe me, neither was I," Harry remarked with snark.

"Sorry about that," Sophia said sheepishly as she turned to look at him. She felt herself calm down, but she was sure it was just because she was too tired to deal with the implications of her actions, and of what this meant.

Harry was silent for a minute before he took a proper look at the young girl standing in front of him. He was surprised that she looked so different from her Earth 2 counterpart, but so similar at the same time. The fire in her eyes was identical, but he could see that this Sophia looked less torn apart.

"It's fine," Harry said. "So what did Harrison Wells do to you that made you want to strangle me?" He asked nonchalantly as he moved to sit down.

"He ripped my heart out in an alternate timeline, and he was the reason that so many of my friends died."

"Nice. Well, now that we have that cleared, let's never speak of it again. _Because I am not him_ ," Harry said, making sure to enunciate each word. He wanted to clear this air of tension quickly so he could get to work. He didn't have time to waste, Jesse didn't have time.

"Alright."

"Well, I just finished running the bio-scans, and you're healthy. You're matching the exact recordings from when you had your powers, slightly decreased heart rate, lower blood pressure but you're healthier than ever. It's as though the electrical overload from when you got hit charged up your meta-human genes again, just like they did the first time round. Whatever happened when you came back that got rid of your powers, it's basically reversed itself," Caitlin explained, a smile growing on her face. She was more than excited to deliver the good news. They all knew how hard it had been for Sophia to assimilate back into her old life without her powers, and she was glad that something good bloomed from the terrible.

"That's great news, thank you, Cait," Sophia said giving her a smile. Barry picked her drink back up and passed it over to her and she gave him a grateful smile.

"So, what's happening this week in Central City? Why did you show up all of a sudden?" Sophia asked taking a sip of her drink, savouring the bitter coffee that travelled down her throat, warming her to the core.

"I came here to help The Flash take down Zoom, it seems now you've joined the group," Harry said with a raised brow. He had been informed that Sophia Lang no longer had her powers, but it seemed that the game had changed.

"Why should we believe you," Sophia said, placing her drink down and crossing her arms. "Obviously the rest of the team believes you otherwise you still wouldn't be here, but I want to hear it from you." She wasn't just about to go trust this guy off a whim. She wanted to know the facts, and she wanted to hear it come from the man standing in front of her.

"After the Particle Accelerator on my Earth exploded, and the meta-humans were created, I realised that I had been the reason this monster ran free. He terrorised the city, and continues to do so. He's an infection, one I plan to eradicate, and I can only do that with the help of The Flash, with your help, Sapphire. It's not a matter of what I want anymore, or what you want, it's what needs to be done. Zoom needs to be stopped, before he hurts more people," Harry told her with a clenched jaw. He needed them to believe him, and if they didn't he wasn't sure what he was going to do. His daughter was in danger and he would do anything to protect her, to keep her safe. She was all he had left.

"Fine, let's do this," Sophia said and Barry let out a sigh of relief. He needed them to all agree on this before they got started, otherwise it would make things a lot harder than they needed to be. "But first, I need a drink," She muttered under breath and Cisco who had seemingly heard this comment whispered out _Can I get an Amen_.

"When can I get back into business," Sophia asked Caitlin.

"I'd give it a week or so, your body is still a bit weak and it needs to readjust to your powers. You probably won't have full control over it for a few days regardless, so you're off duty," Caitlin said.

"But what if there's an emergency," Sophia asked. If she was being quite honest, she was itching to get out there and use her powers again, to be Sapphire again, but if she had to wait another week she would be patient. She just didn't want another Blackout scenario, and if Barry needed back-up she wanted to be there.

"Then and only then," Caitlin said. "Barry's more than capable of handling it now."

"Alright."

Before anyone had a chance to speak further an alarm bell rang indicating a robbery down town. Well that's how Cisco would have liked things to have gone down. His eyes fluttered closed momentarily and he felt the room shift, a vision appearing against his closed eyelids. He saw the breacher tumble out of the blue breach from Earth two, and then the scene changed to the girl appearing at Central City Bank. He blinked before turning around to face Barry.

"We have another breacher," Cisco announced.

"What? How do you know?" Barry asked, his brows furrowed.

"No time to explain, go now," Cisco said, pushing Barry towards the door.

"If you need me, I'll be there," Sophia told him quickly. He nodded and ran out of the room, his suit disappearing out of the display. She turned back to face Cisco and couldn't help but wonder how he knew that there was a new breacher, and exactly where they had gone. She knew that it hadn't come up on their scanners because they had recently installed a new system with various alarms, ringtones and flashing lights, and none of these had gone off. She figured she would confront him later about it, and for now was trying to focus on their efforts towards catching the new breacher.

It wasn't long til Barry had returned and empty handed. The breacher had gotten the better of him, distracting him with a bright flash of light before vanishing from the scene. But Cisco had still managed to pick up a photo of her on the CCTV footage within the confines of the sealed volt in the bank.

"Her name is Doctor Light," Harry said as he peered over at the screen showing the face he recognised so well. "Small-time thief on my Earth until exposure to the dark matter from the Particle Accelerator and became a meta-human with the ability to derive power from starlight."

"Oh, very cool."

"Stars having a temperature of 5,300 degree kelvin and a blinding luminosity, I would say, _Not very cool at all_ ," Harry quipped earning a gruff glance from Cisco.

"You know, our Dr. Wells may have been evil, but you're just a dick," Cisco said bluntly, and Sophia nearly choked on her coffee, trying to pass it off as a cough and not a bout of laughter that had bubbled up in her throat.

"Okay, so obviously, Zoom brought her here from your Earth like the others," Barry said.

"Mm-hmm. Now that we know that, we can use that to gain advantage," Harry said.

"How exactly do we do that?" Sophia asked.

"We capture Doctor Light and use her to lure Zoom here," Harry said simply.

"You are insane!" Jay accused as he waltzed into the room, Harry spinning around on the spot at the familiar voice. Jay was beyond livid in expression, Caitlin mused as she watched the scene pay out.

"Okay, we are not luring Zoom anywhere," Barry said, in an attempt to diffuse the tension, but the arguing continued, Harry and Jay yelling over everyone else.

"Apparently, they know each other, and Jay is not a fan," Caitlin whispered over to Sophia who was watching them with an amused expression.

"Go figure," She mumbled. "Things are never that easy for us." Sophia had not spent enough time with either man to form a solid opinion, but she felt that Jay was the more reasonable of the two gentleman standing before her.

"Well, well, well. Like everyone else, I assumed Earth-2 Flash was dead. Why am I not surprised to find Jay Garrick here, still alive and in hiding a full universe away from Zoom?" Harry barked with an undignified huff.

"I'm not in hiding," Jay said through gritted teeth. "Zoom nearly killed me and stole my speed before the Singularity pulled me here."

"Is that right?"

" _Yeah_ , that's right."

"Well, whatever the case, in your absence, Zoom has only gotten more powerful, _faster_ ," Harry said in a berating tone, as though it was Jay's fault for letting this happen. "Barry, you have to defeat Zoom now while you still can."

"No, this isn't the time to be reckless," Jay said. "We don't even know why Zoom sent Doctor Light here. She's a thief, not a killer."

"Zoom can make people do things out of character," Harry said, choosing his words carefully. He felt the weight of his words as they left his lips but his expression gave nothing away. He turned to face Barry, his eyes momentarily glancing over to Sophia. "Thief or not, she'll kill you. Both of you."

"All right, look, hey, we can decide what to do with Light later," Barry said, trying to keep the peace. It looked like Jay was about to pound Harry and he didn't want another thing to worry about. "First we have to find her, okay?"

Jay let out a sigh before moving to the other side of the room to stand next to Caitlin, very far away from Harry. They were brought out of the awkward silence when Cisco took a large slurp of his frozen coke that sat on his desk.

"Hey, how did you know that she was breaking into the bank?"

"I got an alert on my phone," Cisco said lamely as he tried to come up with an excuse. He could feel the perspiration underneath his shirt and as much as he hated lying to his friends, he just wasn't ready to reveal his secret just yet. There is a little ring-a-ding," Cisco imitated the sound, "every time, like, there's a robbery at a bank."

Sophia frowned at his words, not believing a single one. It was way too specific and he was looking a bit shady, but she let it go considering the amount of people in the room. She also figured that if he was lying about how he knew, then something big must have been going on and she wanted to give him a chance to explain himself properly.

"What?" Barry scratched the back of his neck in confusion.

"But you know what? I think I can get the Star Labs satellite to scan for any irregular solar radiation emissions and we can find Doctor Light's _light_."

"Okay, I'm gonna also call Joe, see if the CCPD has any leads," Barry informed the team before his eyes darted between Jay and Harry. "Why don't we keep them apart until I get back?"

"Sure thing, I'll take happy Harry and Caitlin can take puppy dog Jay,"

"He kind of looks more like a pit-bull at this point," Sophia muttered and Cisco hummed in agreement.

"And you, are going home to rest," Barry said to Sophia, bopping her on the nose causing her eyes to widen in embarrassment, and laughter to bubble off her lips. He picked her up in his arms and ran them back home, letting her feet down gently on the floor of their bedroom.

"I'll be back soon," Barry said to Sophia who smiled up at him. He placed a lightning quick kiss on her forehead before leaving her alone in the apartment.

Sophia let out a hearty sigh before moving to take a shower. After being asleep for so long, she knew that she needed a desperate scrub even though she had taken a quick one at Star Labs before, it just didn't compare.

She spent a good half hour in the shower, the hot water running over her bare skin, leaving her feeling numb and looking slightly red as it pelted down, but she didn't care. Her mind was rattled with thoughts of what was going on. She was trying to come to terms with the fact that she too was now a target of Zooms attacks. She was relieved that she had her powers back, now having a way to protect herself and her friends. She had tried to come to terms with the fact that it might never happen, but she was struggling to when she ached to help Barry in battle, and now that she could do that again, she felt invincible. She mentally reminded herself to call her father later. She knew that Barry had informed him that she had woken up, but she wanted to speak to him for herself, and Anna as well. She had shot Clark and Anna a quick text that morning to let them know that she was alright, and a smile appeared on her face when she saw their concerned messages, and well wishes. Her thoughts then shifted to Iris, as she wondered how the younger West was coping with meeting her mother for the first time in over a decade. She hadn't gotten to speak to her about it much, but was desperate to let her know that she was there for support. Then her thoughts found their way back to the scene this morning.

Harrison Wells had travelled from Earth two it seemed to help them in their quest to defeat Zoom. She had believed him once he had given her his true reason, but she still felt awkward around him. He had _his_ face, and she wasn't sure she was okay with that just yet. She knew that she had but on a brave face after they had exchanged somewhat awkward apologies, but she had a feeling she would still be on edge around the man they now referred to as Harry for quite some time.

Once she had tiptoed out of the shower, drying off and putting on a fresh new pair of clothes, she found herself curled up on her couch with Chewie purring in her lap as she petted her fur. She was waiting for Barry to either come back with some news from the CCPD or take her back to Star Labs. She knew that she had to rest her body, but her mind could still work. She still wanted to be there for her team. So she waited for her boyfriend to return with sleepy eyes, hoping it would be sooner rather than later.

* * *

Cisco was beyond frustrated at this point. He had gone to do damage control while Caitlin kept Jay busy only to find that Harry had disappeared.

He searched high and low before he traipsed back to his workshop to find that Harry was already in there, occupying his space, and playing classical music quite loudly as well.

"Hey, Harry," Cisco yelled. "Hey, over here."

Harry then realised that Cisco had entered the room and stopped writing on the clear board with the white marker, moving to turn the volume down on the radio he had turned on.

"Come inside. Use my workroom. Use my computer! I don't care," Cisco said sarcastically.

"Thanks."

"You and Wells prime have very different musical tastes, his were better."

"This Harrison Wells and I are very different but similar in some respects. I see he made almost the same mistake I did with the Particle Accelerator."

"He did a lot of terrible things, and none of them were by mistake."

"What did he do to you?" Harry asked with intrigue as he turned to face Cisco. "I know he caused the singularity, murdered Barry's mother, blah, blah, blah, blah. What did he do to you? You can barely look me in the eye. Why is that? _What did he do to you_?" He was desperate to know, he had found out why Sophia had reacted so violently, but Cisco had been the opposite, he had confined his emotions, and bottled it up and he wanted to know why.

"He shoved his hand through my chest," Cisco said and it was silent for a beat. "He stopped my heart."

"Ouch, okay, that would do it, but you survived that," Harry said. "I notice it seems to be a reoccurring theme with the heart stopping," Harry referred to Sophia's statement that morning.

"Only because Barry erased that timeline, otherwise we would have both been dead."

"I see, Barry travelled in time."

"Twice."

"Hmm. Here's how it is."

"What's the deal?"

"You don't have to like me. I don't like you, but you have to work with me to stop Zoom and Doctor Light. Can you do that?"

"I guess we'll see won't we?"

"I guess we will."

"One more thing… you said you were going to re-task the Star Labs satellite?"

"To scan for solar emissions, yeah, we're up and running," Cisco said with a nod.

"I'd like to examine your program. I want to see if it works."

"Don't worry, it'll work," Cisco said with a familiar cocky grin.

The two of them then walked back into the cortex in silence to see that Barry and Sophia had returned. Just as Cisco sat down to show Harry the program they had just been speaking off, a silent alarm had alerted on screen.

"The silent alarm just went off at the Bank of Central City."

"That's gotta be Doctor Light."

"Could be a trap."

"Barry, trust me, Doctor Light is not a killer. You can talk to her," Jay advised.

"Okay." Barry nodded before heading over to the bank. He made it there just in time to stand in front of the load of cash that Doctor Light was going after.

"Looking for this?" He said dramatically and he could practically see the eye roll that Sophia would have given him, had she been there.

Doctor Light got into a defensive stance, her hands glowing, the bright light emanating in the room so pungent that it caused Barry to squint. "I know Zoom sent you here to kill me. Good news, you don't have to do that."

"Not if I can get out of town with that cash," Doctor Light mused, taking a step forward.

"And then what?" Barry asked. "Zoom's not gonna like that you ditched him, right? My friends and I can help you."

"Nobody can protect me from Zoom! If Shadow couldn't do it, then neither can you,"

"Shadow?" Barry was confused. He blinked and shook his head, trying to get down to the facts. "All right, why don't we take it down a lumen, have a normal conversation, all right?" She immediately retracted the light, bringing it down to a normal level, leaving him feeling grateful.

"Thank you."

She pressed the button on the side of her dark mask and it slid back up, revealing her face to be the one and only Linda Park, a friend of his and Iris's that worked at CCPN.

"Linda? Linda Park?" Barry asked,

"How do you know my name?" Linda breathed out in shock.

"I don't understand…"

"This was a mistake," Doctor Light said, putting her mask back on as she started to panic. She brought her hands up, exposing a blast of light in the room causing Barry to fall to his knees holding his hands over his eyes as he yelped in pain.

"Barry, what's happening?" Sophia asked through the comm. with a worried voice. What she heard next almost stopped her heart.

"I can't see. Guy's, _I can't see_."

* * *

Sophia had donned her costume in a haze, flying over to the Bank of Central City to get Barry. Her nerves were on the fritz as she brought Barry back to Star Labs. She had been to out of it to realise that this had been the first flight she had since she lost her powers, the thought flying over her head as her mind focused on getting Barry safe. There was a glazed over look in Barry's eyes and she wanted to cry at how vulnerable and scared he looked. He couldn't run back in his condition and when she had placed her hand on his arm to fly him back, he had clung to her like a scared kitten, unsure of the world and what was going on.

After various tests, Caitlin had discovered exactly what had gone wrong, and why he currently had no vision.

"I still can't see. How long is this gonna last?" At first there had been darkness, but the longer time ticked away, it was slowly starting to return, and though he could see blurred images, flashes of colour and light were entering his eye, but his vision was still very much impaired. He was practically blind.

"You're suffering from solar retinopathy. Your retinas are severely damaged. You're lucky you're not permanently blind. But with your rapid regeneration abilities, your sight should return soon."

Iris and Joe who had both arrived in a rush after hearing what had happened both let out a sigh of relief in unison. They had panicked upon hearing that Barry had been attacked by Doctor Light, and they were glad to see that he was going to be fine.

"6.25 hours by my estimation," Harry said, his arms crossed against his chest, a frown settled firmly on his forehead. "All this could have been avoided if you just stopped Light instead of chitchatting with her."

"She caught Barry off guard," Jay defended.

"Always an excuse with you, right?" Harry shot at Jay. "He's the fastest man alive, how could she possibly do that?"

"Because Light looks exactly like my friend, Linda Park," Barry interrupted the two, causing them to look at him with surprise, and then everything seemed to click into place.

"That's why Zoom sent her, because he knew you'd hesitate," Harry said.

"If he did it on purpose, then he knows that Barry is friends with Linda," Sophia said, looking over at Harry. "What if he sends others, another double from Barry's life?" She didn't like the way things were developing.

"That's exactly right, Sophia. This is why Barry has to act now, before Zoom sends another double, one that we might not be able to stop," Harry voiced his opinion clearly.

"All right, right now, I'm more worried about Linda. When I saw who was under the mask, I said her name. What if Light didn't even realise that she had a doppelganger here until I accidentally told her?" Barry asked as he moved across the room like an awkward duck. Sophia jumped up from her seat and wrapped her arm around his, directing him around the room til they reached the middle of the cortex, standing between the others so it was easier to carry conversation.

"Mmm, that's true. The first thing that Atom Smasher did when he crossed the breach was to kill his doppelganger," Cisco pointed out.

"Yeah, but Light's not like Atom Smasher," Jay said.

"We should keep an eye on your Linda."

"All right, I'll go," Barry said, letting go of Sophia's arm as he tried to move around only to bump into Cisco who then nearly crashed into a chair.

"Oh!"

" _Bro!"_

"Barry!" Iris yelped as he knocked into her next.

"What?" He said sheepishly even though he knew what they were going to say.

"Barry," Sophia said softly and he sighed rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. "You do realise that you can't do anything until your sight returns."

"I-I know, I just want to help," Barry said in a low tone.

The rest of the crowd seemed to have dispersed, Joe going to speak with Harry about something, and Caitlin moving out with Jay as they started their stake-out to watch over their Linda, Cisco hovering in the background.

"Iris, you okay?" Sophia asked, as they stood there, Barry holding onto the metal railing on the side. Iris had an empty look in her eye as she stared on at the spot that was previously occupied by Harry, though to her she just saw Harrison Wells, the man that was responsible for the death of her fiancé.

"Yeah, I-uh, it's just a lot to process lately," Iris breathed out, leaning back against the metal railing next to Barry. "Wells, my mother…"

"How are you doing with that, by the way?" Barry asked. He hadn't gotten a chance to properly sit down with Iris and discuss it all like he would have preferred, but she seemed to be doing alright, so he wasn't too worried, he knew that Iris was strong enough to get through this.

"I mean, now that she's gone, okay…" Iris said, not giving away the full story just yet. She had to come to terms with it first.

"You know you can talk to us about it right? We're here for you," Sophia told Iris earnestly.

"Yeah, I know, but really, I'm fine," Iris said. "I should be asking how you're doing. You two manage to get into trouble way too much, it's actually ridiculous," Iris said letting out a bubble of laughter.

"Yeah, we're one heck of a pairing right?" Sophia smiled, and she brought Barry's hand up to her face so he could feel it, bringing one to his own.

"I better get back to CCPN, that way I can help keep an eye on Linda while Caitlin and Jay are on standby," Iris informed the two.

"Okay, if Light shows up, call us, I'll be there if Barry can't," Sophia told Iris who nodded before giving her a quick hug goodbye.

That left Sophia, Barry and Cisco alone in Star Labs, unsure of what to do with themselves.

"Well, we have just over six hours to occupy ourselves until Barry either gets his vision back, or Linda gets attacked by Linda 2.0, so what do you say we make things a bit interesting?"

Their stomachs hurt from how much they had laughed, and possibly how much soda and coffee they had consumed, but it was a night they would all keep close to their hearts. The three friends had played board games, eaten an order of big belly burger too large for their stomachs to hold, watched Sophia use her powers once again, and played tricks on blind Barry.

It was a few hours later that Barry's vision cleared up. He gasped all of a sudden and Sophia had rushed to his side, worried about what was going on and he let out a laugh at the sight of her face.

"I can see again!" He exclaimed.

"Thank god," Sophia said, bringing a hand to her chest. "You gave me a heart attack."

"Payback for last week," Barry told her and she rolled her eyes pulling him in for a tight hug. The moment was soon shattered when Cisco spoke up.

"Uh, guys, Light just attacked the CCPN headquarters."

Barry was gone before Sophia could even reply and she ran over to sit by Cisco, watching what had played out via the CCTV footage, both of them letting out gasps of shock when they saw Doctor Light kill someone.

"Shit," Sophia muttered.

"You can say that again," Cisco sang.

"Shit."

* * *

Sophia was surprised when she heard that Iris had been the one to whip out a gun in the midst of the danger and aim it at Doctor Light with a fierce and fearless look buried deep in her eyes. She knew that Iris was a strong woman, she had seen it in the way she held herself, and used her words, but seeing her in action once again with her own eyes made her realise how much people underestimated her strength. She was a force to be reckoned with and Sophia felt proud of her friend for being so courageous in such a daunting situation.

But Sophia wasn't surprised at all when the team returned to Star Labs, that Jay and Harry had started bickering again like eighth graders on the playground.

"Barry, I'm sorry. Doctor Light's never killed before. I thought we could reason with her," Jay felt guilty about what had happened. Light had gotten the better of him and Caitlin and he hadn't been able to stop Light from killing someone.

"You cannot reason with someone under Zoom's influence, and now a man is dead because of you, Garrick," Harry shouted. He was sick and tired of Jay and he wanted to make his point clear. "This whole thing is because of you. He doubts himself because of you, but believe me, Barry can do what you could not. Barry can stop Zoom."

"I spent two years hunting Zoom," Jay countered, crossing his arms over his chest, making his tall and bulky form more intimidating.

"Wrong! Zoom hunted you."

Sophia knew that Harry was biased and that's why he spoke the way he did, but at the sound of his last words she couldn't help but loose an ounce of faith in Jay. She didn't know Jay all that well, but hearing about his failures, and how Zoom was always one step ahead wasn't very reassuring and at this point in time she wasn't sure whether to trust Jay or Harry.

"You spent the last two years of your life running, running, running from Zoom."

"Zoom would have killed me just like he will kill Barry if you lead him down this path!" Jay yelled.

"No, because he is not like you," Harry said, bringing down his tone til it was low and deep. "Barry runs towards danger, not from it, because Barry's not a coward."

It was silent in the room, so much so one could hear a pin drop, or the heavy breathing of Jay who was staring at Harry with a ferocious look in his eye.

"Enough!"

Sophia wasn't sure who moved first, but Jay and Harry had gone for it, both of them throwing their fists at each other violently. Barry quickly intervened separating the two, watching as Jay stormed out of the room.

"You were pretty hard on Jay in there," Barry said as he dragged Harry to a secluded room in the cortex. He was sick and tired of all this fighting and he just wanted to set the record straight, and figure out what their next move was, not to be breaking up fights all the time.

"Maybe you should be hard on Jay tool," Harry countered. "I've seen what you can do, Barry. I've calculated how fast you can run, and you should be teaching Jay, not the other way around."

"You know, before I learned that the other Wells was the man who murdered my mom, I looked up to him. He was my mentor, actually," Barry said. He wasn't sure why he was telling Harry this exactly, but he felt like it was the right moment.

"So my doppelganger, a man who looks exactly like me, betrayed you."

"Mmm," Barry hummed a distant look settling in his green eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm not him, so you need to listen to me when I say you can take care of Zoom, and all we have to do is," Harry snapped his fingers, "capture Doctor Light."

"I thought about testing the mask for Light's DNA, but it would only have Linda's," Barry said letting out a sigh. He was running out of ideas and fast. Ironic considering.

"The mask, what mask?" Harry asked.

"Light's mask," Barry said, rushing out of the room and picking it up from where he left it and then coming back, dropping it in Harry's hands in the blink of an eye.

"How did you get this?" Harry asked with real intrigue as he looked up at Barry. The speedster continued to surprise him and catch him off guard.

"Iris shot it off Doctor Light when she attacked Linda."

"You know how to sue the mask to find Light?" Barry asked, following Harry as they walked out of the room and into the cortex where Sophia stood, chatting with Caitlin and Cisco.

"Yes, I do," Harry said, his words catching the attention of the three standing on the sidelines. "All we have to do is give it to him," Harry said, inclining his head in the direction of Cisco.

"Why me?" Cisco said awkwardly.

"Because you have powers," Harry stated simply.

Cisco let out strained laughter and suddenly it all made sense in Sophia's head.

"What are you talking about?" Cisco asked incredulously. He wasn't ready to tell anyone yet.

"I developed this watch to detect meta-humans," Harry said, flipping the top of the watch off and pressing the button. He pointed it in the direction of Barry to which the watch beeped, then to Sophia and it beeped again, then past Caitlin, leaving silence to fill the air before beeps replaced it when he directed it at Cisco.

"You never got an alert on your phone. You never reprogrammed the Star Labs satellite and this is why."

"Holy shit, you're a meta-human," Sophia breathed out as she looked to Cisco with wide eyes.

"Cisco, have you known about this, and you didn't say anything to us?" Caitlin asked, a sliver of sadness in her tone.

"Yeah, I was gonna tell you," Cisco insisted. "Thanks a lot, Harry," He said giving him a glare. "I swear I was, but I didn't. I was just…"

"Afraid," Sophia finished. "We don't blame you, Cisco. I felt the same way when it happened to me."

"What are you afraid of Cisco?" Barry asked. He had expected Cisco to be ecstatic and jumping around with excitement, but instead, his friend had kept it a secret, worried about the powers he had been bestowed.

"Dr. Wells said that the dark matter gave me this, _this gift_. He said that one day I'd thank him for it. What if I become like him?" Hearing the crack in his voice, the vulnerability in his words made Sophia want to just wrap him up in her arms. He was too precious and she felt guilty that she hadn't seen the signs sooner, especially considering she had gone through something so similar not long ago.

"Cisco, I don't think any of us would become evil if we all of a sudden got powers, even if they were from Dr. Wells," Caitlin assured him, placing her hand on his shoulder and giving him a smile.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," Cisco let out a nervous laugh. "I should have said something. That's my fault. I'm sorry."

"Well, you can be sorry later, because right now, we have to use your powers to find Doctor Light."

"Cisco, your abilities, how do they work?"

"Uh, I get these feelings sometimes, these vibes, visions of the Breachers when they come to this Earth," Cisco tried his best to explain. "I just… I'm not sure what triggers it. Sometimes it just happens. Sometimes it's when I'm touching something of theirs."

"Touch the mask. You want to find Doctor Light, do it," Harry said, holding out the mask to Cisco who looked at it as though it was some sort of deadly poison.

"You can do it, Cisco. We believe in you," Sophia said, giving him an encouraging smile.

Cisco reached out for the dark helmet, taking it in his hands, but nothing happened. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Nothing.

"Hmm, I don't think it's working."

"Try again," Harry said and then again this time louder, his voice echoing in Cisco's ears. "Try again!"

This time Cisco felt himself shocked into it. The room shifted and he felt on edge, dark images fleeting across his vision as he saw Linda appear before his eyes. She was standing in the middle off a train station. As he turned his head slightly he saw exactly what station and the location of Linda on the platform.

"South Plaza train station, platform 15."

"What are you waiting for?"

Barry was gone in a flash, and Sophia was beginning to hate being on rest for the remaining week, wanting nothing more than to go out there and help Barry capture Doctor Light, fearing that he would get hurt once again.

"Oh, guys, the platform's crowded," Barry said through the comm. Sophia turned to Cisco for help. "Are you sure she's here?"

"Is there anything else you saw?"

"She should be wearing a black trench coat," Cisco said, hoping that would be enough to help him.

"Black trench coat. Found her," Barry said, his eyes locking onto Linda's. She had seen him and thrown out a blast of light in his direction, missing of course, but nearly hitting bystanders.

"Everybody, get out of here. Go, go, hurry!" Barry urged the crowd to move and it wasn't long til he was standing in a mostly empty platform to face down Linda.

"Why won't you just let me leave?" She asked, feeling exasperated.

"I can't let you leave," Barry said. "You killed an innocent man."

"That was an accident," Linda pleaded. She hadn't meant to kill that reporter, she was only after her doppelganger, it wasn't her fault that he was in the way.

"Trying to kill Linda Park wasn't."

"It's the only way that I can be free of Zoom, unless I kill you," Linda said darkly, her persona taking over.

"I can't let you do that either, so we've got a problem."

"We'll see."

"Guys, should have talked about this before I left, but how do I stop her?" He asked nervously through the comm. He didn't need a repeat of that morning, otherwise they would all be out of luck.

"Keep trying different angles, Barry. Find her blind spot," Harry advised.

"I can't get close enough. What should I do?" He asked as he dodged her attacks, trying to get as close as he could without getting hit.

"I don't know."

"I gotta tell ya, that's not exactly the answer I was looking for."

"You need to confuse her. Give her more than one target, so she doesn't know who to fire at," Harry said.

"How the hell can he do that?" Sophia asked, beating Barry to it.

"By running so fast that you create multiple afterimages of yourself, you create a speed mirage," Harry explained.

"Just like Wells did last year," Sophia reminded Barry of the incident that hit last Christmas.

"A what… speed mirage… I've never run that fast," Barry said trying to catch his breath, as he just missed another hit.

"Well, from what I've been told, you've travelled through time. You'll be more than fast enough," Harry pointed out.

"Okay."

"You can do it."

He ran, building up his energy, his speed, his momentum, but it just wasn't working. He moved to hide behind a pillar on the platform to catch his breath and think about what his next action would be. "I can't do it."

"Yes, you can, Barry," A new voice arrived. Sophia turned to see that Jay had entered the room. "Dr. Wells is right. You are fast, faster than I ever was and better than I ever will be. Don't let fear and doubt hold you back like it did to me. You're The Flash, Barry. Show Light what that means."

"Where are you?" Doctor Light asked, her heels clacking on the ground as she stalked around the platform trying to find him.

"I'm right here," Barry announced as multiple versions of himself appeared before her very eyes. She was baffled as she tried to act them all, but it was too much of a distraction for her to spot the right one and it wasn't long until Barry had knocked her out, capturing her and bringing her back to Star Labs.

* * *

"Doctor Light is safely locked in the pipeline."

"Nicely done," Sophia smiled sweetly at her boyfriend, placing a chaste kiss on his lips. "I'm proud of you."

"Wells, thank you for helping Barry put away Doctor Light," Jay said and Harry only huffed in agreement trying to keep things civil between them.

"So what now?"

"We do what Dr. Wells said. We use her to lure Zoom here, and end this once and for all," Barry said seriously, surprising Sophia.

"You can't be serious," Jay said, the animosity from this morning returning at full strength.

"More Breachers are gonna come. More innocent people may die. I can't let this happen anymore," Barry said. People had been killed, others injured severely. He wasn't about to let this war continue. He wanted to stop Zoom and he was going to do it.

"You're making a mistake," Jay told Barry, trying to get him to see reason. "Okay, Zoom is a nightmare you can't wake up from."

"I've already had my worst nightmare. His name was Reverse-Flash, and I spent a long time being afraid of him. I'm not gonna be afraid anymore."

"Okay, Barry. You may be faster than me, but you're not ready to fight Zoom by yourself."

"That's just it, Jay. I'm not gonna fight him by myself. I've got all of them to help me," Barry said, his eyes darting to Sophia's. Even though she wasn't keen on waging a war with another speedster, she could understand where Barry was coming from. She didn't want another Reverse-Flash situation. But she would stand by Barry's side no matter what. She gave him a nod, squeezing his hand lightly to show that she was on his side.

"I've got Dr. Wells, I've got you," Barry said.

"No, I can't in good conscience help you when I know it'll only lead to you losing your speed, or worse, your death.

"Optimism must be an Earth-1 thing."

"You all need to ask yourself why this man, for years wouldn't admit that he was responsible for the Particle Accelerator exploding underground. He may not be the Harrison Wells from your Earth, but he has just as many secrets as the one you knew," Jay warned, turning to walk out of the room. Caitlin moved swiftly, grabbing his wrist, causing him to look back.

"Jay, please don't go," Caitlin pleaded, looking into his eyes. She had just found a friend in him and she knew that without his help they wouldn't be able to take on Zoom.

"I'm so sorry, Caitlin."

* * *

Light music played in the background, and the comfortable scent of coffee filled their senses as they lounged in Jitters, giving themselves a well-deserved break. Sophia found herself sitting at a table in with Barry by her side, and Caitlin sitting opposite her as they waited for Cisco to bring over their drinks after he finished flirting with the new Barista named Kendra.

"Ah, four flashes," Cisco said as he carefully placed the steaming mugs down in front of his friends, each one eagerly grabbing their own supply of life. Sophia took a whiff of the hot coffee and let out a hearty sigh before taking a sip of the delicious drink, unable to get over how good it was. She was sad to hear that it was only a promotional drink, but she was sure to inform the manager that it was a must have on their regular menu. She wasn't sure that she would be able to part with such an amazing coffee after tasting it's greatness.

"Yo, peep that," Cisco said, flashing the piece of paper with Kendra's number on it to Barry who let out a whoop of laughter.

"Wow," Sophia said winking at Cisco. "Impressive."

"That's how it's done, young Padawan."

" _Nice."_

"Going on a date next week. Things are looking up for Cisco Ramon," He announced with a proud smile.

"I guess so."

"Still stuck with these powers, though. Just don't know how to feel about 'em."

"Hey, you don't have to go through it alone," Barry assured him with a heart-warming grin.

"And now you need a cool name," Caitlin pointed out, this fact leaving Cisco giddy.

"I gotta think about this one," Cisco said, bringing his hand up to his chin and rubbing it. "Well, you know me. It's gotta be perfect."

"Mm-hmm."

"Something that really sings, you know? Something like…"

"Vibe?" Sophia suggested, taking a sip of her coffee. She recalled Cisco using the word to describe his powers earlier and thought it was a fitting title.

" _Vibe."_

"Vibe," Cisco hummed in agreement, a grin on his lips.

"See, I knew I was good at this whole naming thing," Sophia mused before the other three burst out into laughter.

"Are you forgetting the _knuckles_ incident of 2014?" Cisco asked sarcastically causing Sophia to blush a deep red.

"Oh, shut up Ramon."

* * *

The room was dark. Jesse shook her head. It wasn't a room, _it was a prison_. A cage for animals at best. She sniffed, trying her best to contain her tears. She knew that if she were to survive this, then she would have to be strong. She would have to believe that her father would come for her. That he would save her.

It felt like months, but had probably been a few weeks at most. Zoom had her shackled up like a puppet on display, a reminder that he was in control. There were other prisoner's too, but slowly they disappeared and she wasn't sure what was happening. Did Zoom kill them? Let them free? Turn them into one of his minions? It was just her and the man in the iron mask at the current moment, and she was glad for it. It at least gave her some peace of mind knowing that she could let down her guard whilst the monster was away.

But it was soon replaced with fear as she heard the familiar whoosh, feeling the air rushing into the room, the momentum of Zoom's speed sending her hair in a wild frenzy as he stopped in front of her cell with insanity brewing in the dark depths of his eyes.

"Your father had abandoned you," Zoom spoke in a sinister voice. The way he stood there and the finality of his words sent her heart quivering in terror.

"You're lying!" Jessie cried out, shaking her small fists in the iron shackles that kept her tied up. She knew that her father would never abandon her. They were a team, a pair, they would never leave one another behind, no matter the consequences, no matter the price they would have to pay. "My father's the smartest man alive. He'll find me, he'll save me, and then he'll kill you."

"I will not die." His deep voice sending shivers down her spine. "What happens to you and your father is still to be decided."

And with that, the terrifying speedster had zipped out of the room, leaving her alone once again, fearing to close her eyes. Because she knew that when she woke up from her nightmares, she would soon realise once again, that she was living one.

* * *

 **A / N – This chapter was seriously a pain to write. Hope I did it justice, you guys let me know what you think. It took forever to write (1 month in the making).**

 **I'm slowly getting back into the groove of writing which is great, but finals are approaching and I haven't started studying yet, so please be patient if the updates become slower over the next month or so.**

 **But the plan is still to update every 2 weeks. So whenever this chapter goes up, check for an update 2 weeks later! But hey, at least you guys get a 10,000+ worded chapter. Imagine if I only wrote 3k and updated every 2 weeks. #YIKES.**

 **Thanks for sticking around. Love you guys. Keep those reviews coming, I'm loving your thoughts. Will reply to them VIA PM. And thanks to all guest reviews, you guys make my day too.**

 **Heroherondale.**


	9. Enter Zoom

CHAPTER NINE

"Zoom sent me here to kill you, but I didn't want to," Doctor Light told Barry.

Sophia was sitting in her chair in the cortex, sipping on a frozen coke as she listened to Doctor Light go on about Zoom. Sophia hadn't even met Zoom yet, but she was already sick of hearing his name. She wondered if what they were doing was right. Were they in over their heads? She remembered the danger and disaster that was the Reverse-Flash and if it meant they could stop it before it happened, then that would be great, she was all for it. But her doubts were beginning to get the better of her at this present moment. Especially since it had been days since Jay had left them.

She thought that Jay's anger and frustration would have faded away and that he would be back to help them, but once it had hit the third day mark, she knew that he had truly been serious about this whole situation. He wanted nothing to do with them putting themselves in danger, and it made her really think about it. What if they weren't able to stop Zoom? What if Zoom was much stronger and faster than they had previously thought, after all, they had never met him to form their own opinion or idea. He was just this image in their head, and she was worried that they were underestimating his power.

"But you were fine with killing Linda Park," Barry countered, crossing his arms.

 _Ah._ Linda Park.

The poor girl had been traumatised after the near brutal murder that had come from her very own doppelganger. Iris had been an angel and had taken her to the West household, keeping her company and making sure that she felt safe. Sophia was glad that at least Linda was out of the way for now, and wouldn't be targeted again. She didn't deserve to be attacked, or have to witness the murder of one of her colleagues.

"It was the best idea I could come up with," Doctor Light defended as she paced the small space of her cell in the pipeline. "Leave her body for Zoom to find, he'd think I was dead, and I'd be free."

"How was he supposed to know where to find her body?" Barry asked, continuing the interrogation smoothly. He was glad that Joe had let him sit in on so many over the years, finding it easy to question Doctor Light. She was different compared to their usual villains, and he found he was making more progress with her than he had with most they had come across.

"Just let me go," Doctor Light said exasperatedly. "Let me disappear."

"You would spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder, never knowing when Zoom is coming."

"Listen," Doctor Light sighed. "I tried everything on my Earth. If Shadow couldn't even help me, then how can you expect to? She was the most powerful of us all, and even she fell under Zoom's reign."

"You mentioned her once before, who is Shadow?" Barry asked with intrigue, taking a step forward. Sophia and Cisco who were sitting upstairs had leaned a bit closer towards the screen, Cisco's hand automatically moving to turn the volume louder on the speakers to see what was up.

"She was someone who thought she could take on Zoom, just like you and your merry little band of friends are trying to now. She disappeared and according to most, she's either dead, or Zoom barely left her alive enough to live what a crappy life we have left on that pathetic excuse of an earth." There was a sliver of fear and resentment in her voice as she told the tale, but she shook her head, realising they were getting off topic.

"We're different. We can help."

"Okay. And what's your great idea?"

"How were you supposed to contact him after you killed me?" Barry asked, an idea coming to the forefront of his mind. He admitted that hearing the tale of this other Meta failing put him off a little bit, but then again Jay hadn't been able to stop him either and he was a speedster. But he was The Flash, and he had Sophia by his side as well as the support from the rest of his team. He was prepared to take Zoom down and end this. He just needed to stay positive.

"I was supposed to get something…something I could only get if you were dead, and then throw it into the breach as proof," Doctor Light said.

"And then what?"

"And then he'd come for me. Confirm the kill and bring me home," She said, a heavy feeling in her gut as she realised that the next time Zoom crossed her, it would most likely result in her death. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because I want to find him."

"You really don't want to do that."

"He's going to keep coming for me. He's gonna keep kidnapping people like you, forcing them to do what he wants. I have to stop him before he kills more people," Barry said.

"You can't stop Zoom." Doctor Light stared carefully at the man in front of her, and his next words actually had her believing him, hoping this would be the case.

"Yes, I can. _We_ can, but with your help."

* * *

After a lengthy meeting, a minor bit of cursing from both herself and Cisco, it had been decided that they would be accepting Doctor Light's help in taking down Zoom. Barry had come up with an elaborate plan with the help of Doctor Wells, but things had gone to shit when Linda had blind sighted him and escaped, leaving them with no Linda Park to aid them in their rouse.

Barry had called Iris and told her to take Linda to their house to keep her out of town and safe from Linda in case she decided to go after her again, but they had a feeling that now that Doctor Light had escaped, she wouldn't be returning. Harry had yelled at Barry quite a bit, leaving him frustrated as he tried to get the situation under control. The doppelganger from Earth 2 had then moved to the other side of the room, keeping quiet and muttering to himself about how he needed to finish working on the speed dampener that they were making in preparation for Zooms arrival.

But it seemed as time went on, and things kept going wrong, Sophia's nerves were moving towards the edge of a very dangerous mountain top. She wasn't so sure their plan was solid anymore. She was anxious and fearful of what Zoom's arrival mean, unsure if they would be able to pull it off.

"So what's our next move?" Joe asked to no one in particular, wondering where they would go next.

"Well considering that Jay walked out on us, and we've got no Doctor Light to help us trick Zoom, I'd say we figure out a way to close the breach for good so we can all go back to our normal lives," Cisco suggested. "Not to mention that Harry is terrifyingly similar to Dr. Wells and I still don't trust him."

"Cisco!" Sophia mused to herself that Caitlin sure did have a way of berating people by only using one word.

"Since when were our lives ever normal?" Sophia asked.

"Before the Particle Accelerator," Cisco muttered under his breath as he fiddled with the bottom of his shirt. Sophia let out a sigh at his deflated form. She knew that he was scared, they all were, especially considering the horror stories that Jay had thwarted them with before his dash away from their lab not long ago.

"How are we doing with the speed dampener?" Barry asked, ignoring the previous comments as he paced around the well-lit cortex.

"I think we isolated the composite," Caitlin replied.

"And we're modifying the dart The Arrow used to take down Wells," Cisco said.

"He's not Wells. I'm Wells," Harry huffed, a frown settling on his brow.

"Whatever, Harry," Cisco scoffed.

"How do we know if this is even going to work? It took two tries on Wells-sorry, Eobard, before it took him down." It was obvious that Sophia's doubts were getting the better of her and she tried to ignore the sympathetic look that Barry was giving her. She wasn't backing down, she wasn't abandoning him, but she was terrified as hell.

"Until we try it, no. This will be a field test, so can we end this scintillating staff meeting and get back to work?" Harry asked from the other side of the room as he turned around and started to write furiously on the white board, scribbling down formulae.

"Or, how about I say what everyone's thinking? Maybe it's a good thing that Doctor Light is gone," Joe said from his spot, where he had previously been silent-mostly. "Maybe it's the universe stopping us from doing something really stupid."

"I'm gonna figure out another way to get Zoom," Barry said, shaking his head. Regardless of their setbacks, he was still determined to see this through.

"Hey, slow your roll, I want to talk to you," Joe said, pulling Barry aside, leaving the others to help Harry finalise the dart that would be their only defence other than Barry's speed and Sophia's energy against Zoom.

"Joe, look, I know what I'm doing," Barry said as he straightened out his jumper.

"Okay, I don't, so why don't you clue me in?" Joe asked exasperatedly. He was scared about what this was doing to Barry. He knew that Barry had a kind heart, and that he would do anything to protect innocent people, but Joe knew that this wasn't what had to be done. Yes, Zoom needed to be taken out, but they needed to get their game plan straight. They didn't have enough information on their opponent and Joe knew that they were going to be blind sighted, and judging by the things he had heard, Zoom seemed to be far worse than the Reverse-Flash.

"I'm trying to stop Zoom. I thought you were on board with that?" Barry asked, an expression of hurt evident on his face.

"I'm keeping my options open."

"I don't understand why you think we have a choice," Barry said to Joe. "Zoom wants me dead. He want's _Sophia_ dead."

"Ah, so that's what it's about. You're trying to protect her." Joe knew that after Barry lost Sophia those months ago that he had been a wreck, truthfully, they all had. But to think that Barry was throwing caution into the wind just to keep her safe made him nervous. It was a valid reason to go after Zoom since the man seemed hell bent on killing both Barry and Sophia, but he didn't want either of them getting hurt in the process.

"So what if it's because of her, I can't lose her again, Joe," Barry said with such pain in his eyes that Joe almost didn't want to continue arguing with him. "It's not just her. You know that. The meta-humans that he's sending from Earth 2, they don't care how many innocent people get in his way. Look at what happened to Iris and Linda's boss. He was just collateral damage in Zoom's war. The next time that could be you or Iris."

"I'm just wondering if going after him now is premature. I mean, we barely know anything about his abilities," Joe told Barry. He was trying to look at it like a cop heading into a hostage situation. Without knowing the background information of the criminal, it would be nearly impossible to predict or deduce what their next move would be, and it would only result in more people getting hurt.

"Wells does."

"You're putting a whole lot of faith in the man wearing the face of your mother's killer." As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Joe regretted them. But they needed to be said. "I think we should find Jay, get him to help us on this."

"Yeah, Jay made it pretty clear that he doesn't want to help me get killed, and we just can't sit around and wait for Zoom to make his next move anymore."

"I guess we can't," Joe sighed.

"Aren't you the one who told me life isn't about playing defence, sometimes the only way to succeed is by working the offense?"

"I think at the time we were talking about your high school football tryouts," Joe teased, earning a strangled laugh from Barry, both of their chests rising up and down in laughter.

"You said you'd never bring that up again," Barry said with a playful frown. Joe pulled Barry into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around his shoulders firmly.

"Whatever you have planned, keep me filled in. If you're gonna do this, we're gonna do it together."

"Together." Barry nodded.

* * *

"Hey," Sophia greeted, leaning against the wooden doors of Barry's lab at the CCPD. With nothing to do at Star Labs but watch Cisco try to sneakily touch Harry to vibe, and between sitting and watching Caitlin work with Harry trying to finish creating the speed dampener, she was bored out of her mind.

She had then decided to go for a quick flight and had suddenly found herself at the doorsteps of the CCPD. Well, a few streets away considering she couldn't make such a grand entrance, but she knew that she wanted to see Barry. They needed to talk.

"Hey," Barry said with a smile as he looked up from his computer. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be at Star Labs."

"I was, I guess I just needed some air," Sophia said. "Sorry to bother you, I know you're working." Her hair was windswept after her flight over, and her button up flannel hung of her shoulders carelessly and Barry admired the sight before him, almost laughing as he noticed that she was wearing a pair of his old converse, the shoe laces done up so tight to keep them on her feet.

"Don't worry, I'm nearly done, just give me a sec." Barry sent her a wink before running around the room and finishing up the last report, delivering it to the Captain's desk while he was busy filling up his empty mug of coffee.

"All done?" Sophia asked as he stood before her, his hair ruffled and shirt slightly skewed.

"All done." He gave her a small smile.

"Good." She moved forward, wrapping her arms firmly around his mid-section, holding onto him tight. She took in a deep breath through her nose, inhaling his scent, the usual traits of musk and burnt leather from running tying in well with his natural aroma.

"Is everything okay?" Barry asked softly, bringing his arms around her as she nuzzled her head in the crook of his neck. One hand rested on the small of her back, the other softly brushing through her wavy hair.

"Are you sure about this? All of this?" Sophia asked with a tone of uncertainty. "Do you think we're making the right choice?" She mumbled into his shirt as she tilted her head.

"Yes," Barry replied without hesitation. "I know that it's scary right now, that there's a chance things might go wrong, but there's so much more to gain from this than ever. We have to stop Zoom, it's the only way to keep everyone safe, to keep us safe." The unspoken _to keep you safe_ hung in the air and she held her arms around him tighter, pressing a kiss to his neck before arching back enough so that she could gaze up at his face.

"Okay."

"You don't have to do this you know, I-I can do this on my own," Barry said after a moment. He knew that after everything she had been through, she had the right to back down. They had discussed this before, but he wanted to give her the option once again. He wouldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to.

"No, I-uh, I'm scared of what could happen, but there's no way I'd ever abandon you. We're going to do this together," Sophia said, mustering a brave smile. Barry leaned down and captured her lips in a lightning quick kiss, the pressure sending the butterflies in her stomach reeling as she moved her arms to wind themselves around his neck, clinging to him desperately as she tried to remind herself that they weren't just two superheroes, they were a team, and they would take down Zoom together.

* * *

A short while later, Sophia found herself standing on the doorstep of the West household, waiting by Barry's side for Iris to answer the door. Barry had yet again misplaced his set of keys, and the ones that were usually hidden under the pastel yellow flowerpot had gone missing.

Iris came running a moment later, swiftly opening the door after jiggling the worn out brass handle in the right direction, greeting them with a warm pink-lipped smile, inviting them in. Linda Park was sitting on their couch, wrapped up in a warm tangerine blanket, with a cup of coffee in hand, and countless sweets and treats set out on the coffee table in front of her. Sophia's eyes then found the kitchen table that was also covered in pots and casserole dishes filled with enough food to feed an army.

"Are you guys having a dinner party?" Sophia asked.

"You would think," Barry said, biting back laughter as he looked at the mess all around.

"Stress cooking?" Sophia asked Linda who just laughed in response from her seat on the couch. She noted that there was also a little bit of flour in her hair from when she must have been baking.

"Don't even get started, I think she's used up everything in our kitchen," Iris said.

"It's just, sometimes cooking helps me to relax," Linda defended.

"Oh," Linda said, her fingers tapping away on the nearly full cup of coffee. She was too anxious to eat or drink anything at this point, and was just holding onto the cup for the warmth and comfort that it offered her hands. The cooking and baking had been a release, but short lived once she had finished. "Have you heard anything about Doctor Light? Am I still in danger?" Linda asked, firing her questions away at Barry once he had walked further into the room.

"We're not really sure," Barry said and he felt guilty when he saw Linda's deflated expression.

"Come on, I'm going crazy here, Barry," Linda said.

"Yeah, she is," Iris said, interrupted as the oven timer went off with a ding. Linda jumped off her seat on the couch, the blanket falling around her to reveal that she was wearing an apron on top of her dress that had been splattered with bits of flour and chocolate.

"That is the cake. Hope you're hungry," Linda said as she disappeared into the kitchen.

"She's not kidding. There's enough food in there to feed an army," Iris commented. She was just happy that she didn't have to cook for the next few days. But she was desperate for any information on Doctor Light. Ever since Larkin died, she noticed that Linda had been on edge, and she couldn't blame the poor girl, only hope that she could do something to help her.

"She must be terrified," Barry said, leaning against the back of the couch.

"Uh, more like furious," Iris corrected. "Larkin died to protect her, and it only makes it worse that the person who did it looks just like her. I mean, trust me. If Linda had Doctor Light's powers right now…" Iris trailed off and Sophia could practically see the lightbulb on top of Barry's head turn on.

"No, Barry," Sophia said, crossing her arms. She wasn't going to let him do something this stupid.

"Why not? It's a great idea," Barry said and she shook her head once more.

"What?" Iris said looking between the both of them, trying to figure out what was going on.

"I just, uh, Linda and Light… they're identical. So identical that Light even thought she could fool Zoom. Now we have Light's suit," Barry explained and Iris held up her hand cutting him off.

"You don't even have to say anything, I know. I also agree with Sophia when I say that it's a terrible idea," Iris said.

"You can say that again," Sophia muttered.

"No, no, no, it's not," Barry said, trying to convince them. "We make Zoom think that Linda is Doctor Light and use her to draw him out."

"It's too dangerous, what if Linda gets caught in the crossfire?" Sophia asked. "She won't be able to protect herself, we can't put her in that position."

"Let Linda decide," Barry said and Sophia let out a long sigh. "I mean, she's desperate to catch the person who's responsible for Larkin's death, and she deserves the chance to help us."

"Fine, but if we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it the right way," Sophia said.

"What did you have in mind?" Barry asked, and he noted the glint of mischief in her eyes.

* * *

Sophia worked on creating the gloves with Cisco as Barry and Iris brought Linda into their training room at Star Labs. They had explained what would happen to Linda, and the plan was to see if she would be able to handle the heat.

It was agreed that if they were going to throw Linda into this situation then they needed to give her something to use to protect herself, and that's where the gloves came in. Cisco was retrofitting some of the old tech from Doctor Light's suit into a new set of black metallic gloves that Sophia would charge up with her energy, to allow Linda to fire short disperses of blasts from them, in order to re-create Doctor Light's powers, and give her a weapon to protect herself with should the need arise.

Sophia was dressed in her suit when Barry came running in beside her, also clad in leather as Iris walked Linda over.

"I still don't understand why we're here. I thought your dad said not to leave the house," Linda's voice travelled through the hallway as they moved closer.

"Someone wants to talk to you," Iris said, a gleeful tone in her voice.

"Who?" Linda asked as they reached the mouth of the room, her jaw dropping as she saw the two superheroes standing in front of her. She blinked once, then twice, then once again as she tried to come to terms with the situation.

"Ms. Park we need your help."

"Woah."

After Linda's star struck moment had passed, they soon got to work. Sapphire showed her where she could get dressed into Doctor Light's costume and made sure to tell her the plan one more time, making it clear that she could back out if she wanted to at any time. Linda was a civilian and she wasn't going to make her do anything that she wouldn't make Iris, Caitlin or even Cisco do.

"This is ridiculous," Linda commented as she walked back into the room, now dressed head to toe in Doctor Light's costume. She found the mask itself was the hardest thing to wear, being with how it sat on her head, as well as the fact that once it was on, it was hard to see underneath. She mentioned this to Cisco and he explained that the contrast in the darkness of the mask, with the illuminating light of the blasts cancelled each other out, and that if it changed it would only make it harder for her.

"No, it's not."

"You look just like Doctor Light," Iris said, trying to encourage and support her friend.

"And with these gloves that Cisco rigged up, you'll be able to do what she does."

"Don't worry, they are totally safe," Cisco reassured Linda as he handed the gloves to her. "Ish."

"Ish?"

"Well, come on, it's gotta be believable, so they really do fire and explode things," Cisco said, noting that Linda looked slightly paler than before.

"And you are going to have to let her hit you with those blasts when she gets the hang of it."

"Who exactly came up with this terrible idea?"

"Okay, it's not a terrible idea."

"The suit can absorb the blasts," Cisco said, but it didn't sound too convincing.

"For real, or Ish?" Barry asked.

"Guys, seriously," Sophia said, pushing them aside. "Linda won't be hitting The Flash, she doesn't need to. She can hit me," Sophia said, using her energy to create a round shield almost like that of Captain America's, holding it in front of her in a protective stance. "This way, we all stay safe and don't have to worry about any unplanned injuries."

"Great."

At first, Linda had been apprehensive about the whole thing, and she missed more than just a few times, but once she got one hit in, the rest seemed too flow, and she flew through the training. The first shot she had tried to fire had resulted in her screaming because the gloves had a slight malfunction and they erupted into flames that were quickly put out by Sophia. She didn't know whether to laugh or bang her head against the wall, but she knew that they had to do this so she helped Cisco quickly finish fixing it before giving it back to Linda who was getting pointers and tips from The Flash, nodding enthusiastically as he gave her advice.

They were all impressed with the progress that Linda had made in the last few hours for a beginner. Sophia had even upped the ante and flew around the room as a moving target, her shield held out in front of her as Linda hit it, blasting her. She was glad that Linda was able to get in a few hits as she moved as this is what would happen when she attacked Barry as they lay out their plan to capture Zoom. It needed to look believable.

Once Sophia was done, she let Barry take the reins, running around the room, taking a few blasts to his suit in order to allow Linda to feel comfortable in actually hitting him seeing as though that is what would be happening soon enough.

"Okay, no offense to Linda, but I don't think she can pull this off," Cisco said as they all met up in the cortex, leaving Iris to keep Linda company.

"Well, maybe if she didn't scream every time she fired," Caitlin pointed out.

"I think she can do it. She was getting the shots. We just need to get her comfortable enough not to freak out each time she throws a punch, otherwise it won't work," Sophia said.

"I'll talk to her," Barry said.

"What could you possibly tell her to make her feel more comfortable, all she sees when she looks at you in the suit is The Flash."

"That's it, thanks for the idea!" Barry exclaimed, a bright smile lighting up on his face. The rest of them gave him looks of confusion, Cisco and Caitlin watching on with mirth as he moved forward pressing his lips against Sophia's in a chaste kiss before running out of the room.

"What just happened?" Sophia asked, earning a shrug from Caitlin and a laugh from Cisco.

"I don't even want to know."

"That makes two of us."

* * *

"I'm here to kill The Flash, and no one can stop me!" Linda yelled out as she threw out another blast of energy that Barry dodged. Sophia was watching from the sky, using her cobalt encrusted vision and a new pair of lenses woven in her mask by Cisco that allowed her to see them from down below from her vantage point. She had the perfect aerial view, seeing exactly where everyone was. She was waiting for the moment that Zoom came through the portal. Her job was to immobilise him in any way she could using her powers, whether that was creating a barrier to trap him on or shock him with a bout of energy was completely up to her. She just needed to distract him long enough for Harry and Joe to be able to fire the speed dampener at him and make the shot.

But as she flew up high above watching the scene take place she could visibly see Cisco cringing as Linda asked how that was.

"Uh, it's a little too much," Cisco told her, then moving to berate her as she tapped the ear piece once again. "Uh, stop messing with the earpiece."

"Yeah, you don't want to dislodge it," Barry told her.

"Right, you… you told me that. I'm sorry," Linda muttered under her breath.

"No, no, you're doing great, Linda," Barry reassured her quietly before running around her in circles, then presenting himself in a prime target position. It was almost comical the way things were playing out, which was ironic considering it wasn't going to be this way for much longer if Zoom ever came.

"All right, Doctor Light, here I am," Barry said, using his Flash voice as he played his part. "But we're gonna skip the part where you say you're gonna kill me and go right to the part where I don't let you."

"I'm here to kill you, Flash," Linda's spoke, projecting her voice as loud and dramatic as possible. Sophia wanted to face palm, obviously Linda hadn't gotten the double meaning of Barry's words as the speedster tried to save them all some time and worry.

"Wait, what are you doing? We're skipping that?" Linda whispered.

"Yes," Barry whispered back and Linda cringed, taking a quick breath as she tried to gather her courage once again.

"Uh, I am loyal to Zoom, so get ready to fry," Linda yelled out, pushing both hands out in front of her and firing away at Barry. He moved around a little bit, pretending to actually fight with her.

"Next time we're doing this, I'm writing better dialogue," Cisco groaned.

"Next time?" Caitlin questioned.

"Next time, Cisco can stay away from writing the fanfiction when he clearly has no experience," Sophia remarked.

"Fine, I'll leave it to you, J.K. Rowling," Cisco scoffed through the comm.

"Better than letting you take control of it," Sophia threw back with a sweet smile.

"Uh," Barry fake groaned as he finally took a hit from Linda's blasts, figuring it was a good time to get _caught_ off guard and stage the scene.

"Oh!"

"Gotcha," Linda said. This time Barry moved slower and she took the opportunity to make a big show of her final hit, the illuminating bright light almost blinding Barry as he dropped to the ground, collapsing unceremoniously onto the cold and wet floor of the docks.

"Told you, Zoom always wins," Linda declared as she stood above Barry's body, her shadow covering his form. She whispered to him quickly to ask if he was fine, her shoulders releasing a bit of the tension that had built up when he told her that he was alright.

"I had to make it look good," Linda whispered her apology before leaning down, and tearing the red, white and yellow lightning insignia off his red suit. She turned around swiftly and moved to the breach that hung in the air by the docks, glowing a bright azures colour, wisps of energy floating off it.

"Here it is, Zoom, I did what you wanted. Now bring me home," Linda threw the insignia into the breach with all her might, watching as it was swallowed up by the blue energy.

The first few minutes had been the worst. Everyone was on guard and high alert as they waited. Then it dwindled down into half an hour, then an hour and everyone was on edge, unsure if he was coming, or what he was playing at.

"Come on, come on," Harry whispered through the comm. "This is everything he wants right?"

"Come on, Zoom," Barry muttered from his spot on the floor, attracting Sophia's attention from above. She glared down at him from her spot on a nearby roof. She had grown tired of floating in the air and figured she could still keep her high vantage point if she sat atop the roof opposite to the one that Joe and Harry were hiding out in.

"Stop fidgeting, Barry," Sophia told him through the comm. and he struggled to keep a grin off his face. It was the first time she had spoken in an hour and he was both bored and missing her. But he figured that this was not the time nor place to voice this so he kept those thoughts to himself.

"Sorry, it's been an hour," Barry said, his lips barely moving, as to keep up the pretence that he was in fact deceased. "I landed in a ridiculous position, and my foot fell asleep."

"He's probably just waiting to see if you're really dead."

"Any minute now, he's gonna strike," Cisco said.

"No."

"Sorry, I probably screwed up somehow," Linda muttered from her position with Caitlin and Cisco in a nearby van. She had moved there about fifteen minutes ago after giving up waiting for Zoom. Barry also figured that it would be better for her safety.

"No, Linda, you did great," Sophia said across the line.

It was then collectively decided that they would all head back to Star Labs, where Iris would escort Linda home, and the others would disperse and keep an eye out in case anything new happened. But at this point their plan had failed.

Each member of the team took their failure differently. Iris was comforting and supporting Linda, explaining that it wasn't her fault as the two made their way to CCPN, now dressed in their normal work clothes and ready to dive straight into some journalism to drown out the disaster that the night had turned out to be.

Harry had reacted the worst out of them all, throwing his gun to the side upon arrival back at Star Labs, leaving the cortex in a hurry as he headed down to Cisco's lab for some space, the rest willingly giving it to him considering the angry condition he was in.

The rest of them had also followed Harry back to Star Labs, Cisco and Caitlin moving out of the room, leaving Joe, Sophia and Barry sitting in the cortex, the two superheroes still dressed in their super suits.

"So Wells ain't taking this well," Joe commented to the two as he leaned up against the table.

"Yeah." Sophia let out a long sigh, rubbing the side of her face.

"How about you?" Joe directed to Barry.

"Yeah, it just sucks, you know," Barry said as he plopped down in a chair, Joe and Sophia nearby. "You were right a little bit about this not being just about Zoom… about it being about the Reverse-Flash."

"Okay."

"But not for the reason that you think, not because I didn't beat him," Barry said quickly. He hadn't told either Sophia or Joe this yet and he was grateful that he had the opportunity to tell them both now. "It's… Wells… he said something to me on that video before he confessed to my mom's murder. He said that even if he was dead, that he still won because I wasn't happy, that I'd never really be happy."

"How the hell would he know?"

"He knew me, he knows future me."

"That's future you, this is the you here and now," Joe said.

"You don't think you could be happy?" Sophia voiced quietly as she looked down, trying not to let her emotion show, and how hard Barry's words had hit her. It made it seem like he couldn't be happy with her.

"No, no, that's not it. Not about you," Barry said to Sophia, then turning to Joe. "Or you, and Iris…" He took a deep breath before continuing. "Ever since I went back to that night, and I didn't save her… I didn't save my mom, I just… there's just been this void in me. I just feel like that is always gonna be there," Barry said.

Sophia walked over to him and took his hand in her own, waiting patiently for Joe to finish talking before she would.

"Wells may have stalked you for 15 years, but I raised you. He said what he did to mess with you one last time, to get in your head. If you listen to him, you win."

"I know, and I don't want that."

"You're responsible for your own happiness, Barry. Forget about Wells," Joe said, giving Sophia a nod before leaving the room. "It's as simple as that."

"Why did you never tell me you felt this way?" Sophia asked. She wasn't crying, she wasn't that upset but she could feel her eyes water from the hurt. She didn't care about his insecurities in that moment, it was the fact that he felt as though he had to hide it from her, that he hadn't come to her before this to express it.

"I just didn't know how to say it," Barry said after contemplating it for a moment.

"After my mother died, I felt the same. Empty and hollow inside, like nothing could fill the spot that she left behind," Sophia told him, her voice soft and soothing. "But I soon realised that the longer I sat there and let it consume me, the harder it became to feel normal again. It's not going to be easy, but we're here for you, Joe and Iris, Cisco and Caitlin…I'm here too," Sophia told him, as he stood up, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in a tight hug.

"I love you, and I want you to know that you don't have to feel like you're alone, or that you're never going to be content with your life again, or that you can't be happy," Sophia told him. "The only one who can stop it from happening is you."

"Okay," Barry whispered as he held onto her tight, swallowing the guilt he felt when he saw her face after he told her about Wells message, and how it had lingered. He pulled back slightly so he could see her face, bringing one hand to cradle her freckle spotted cheek, slowly brushing his thumb back and forth. "And I just want you to know, just because I felt empty because of losing my mom and not being able to save her doesn't mean that you don't make me happy, that I can't be happy with you. You're the one thing keeping me together, my life is a whole lot darker without your smile," Barry said causing her to bury her face into his chest, a shy smile on her lips.

"You're a real charmer you know that right?" He pressed a kiss to her lips in response, leaving her feeling light and fuzzy inside.

"I love you, Sophia Lang, and nothing will change that." He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and held her tight, the two standing in the warm embrace for a little while longer.

* * *

"I was thinking about a lot of things," Linda said to Iris as she sat at her work desk, her fingers absentmindedly playing with a ballpoint pen. "Like how everything that's happened to me the past few days is the best story I can never write."

"Ooh, tell me about it," Iris laughed. She couldn't even begin to tell Linda of the stories and adventures she had been on, of all the insane and impossible things she had witnessed, only to realise that she would never be able to voice it to the public, and only cherish it as a personal memory.

"Do you ever get used to it?" Linda asked, looking up at her friend to see Iris shake her head.

"Keeping a secret that big? No. It's pretty heavy," Iris confessed. It felt nice to chat to someone other than the people whose secret she was keeping she had to admit.

"I need a good night's sleep," Linda said, throwing her phone into her bag. "I'm gonna head out. I'll see you tomorrow."

Iris nodded goodbye before calling out for Linda. "Oh, hey, if we're gonna be The Flash's sidekicks, we should probably join CrossFit or something, you know?"

"Oh, yeah, girl."

"Yeah."

"Bye," Linda waved, just about to head out the door when a dark shadow loomed over her in a suit that she wished she had never seen with her own two eyes. Head to toe covered in a dark charcoal, with the eyes of the devil. Zoom grabbed at her throat, his gloved fingers like claws as they grasped at her pale skin as she gasped desperately for air.

"Linda!" Iris yelled out, eyes wide in panic as she watched Zoom take her before she could take another step forward.

"Shit, shit, shit," Iris cursed as she fumbled for her phone, dialling Barry, and praying to god that they hadn't just entered the Lion's nest with no way out.

Sophia was floating in the middle of the cortex, trying out some new training techniques with her abilities whilst Barry, Cisco and Harry discussed the footage from the scene once more, replaying it yet again to see where they went wrong when Barry's phone started ringing.

"Hey," Barry said as he picked up his phone. "Iris, slow down. I can't understand you."

Sophia sat up straighter upon hearing those words, and not a moment later Harry's watch started to beep furiously, indicating another breacher, and then the Star Labs alarm had gone off, blaring in their ears. Sophia flew into action, moving to see what was happening. Cisco tapped the screen, pulling up the CCTV footage up on the roof of Star Labs to show Zoom standing there in all his terrifying glory with Linda in his grasp.

"Zoom has Linda, he's on the roof," Cisco said.

Barry ran out of there and Sophia panicked, rushing out as fast as she could, flying through the hallways of Star Labs til she too was standing side by side with Barry as they stared down Zoom.

"Put her down," Barry ordered, his body tense as he waited for what would happen next. Linda watched the two heroes with wide eyes, tears trickling down her cheeks as she stood there terrified of what would happen to her. She didn't want to die, and she couldn't stop the constricting feeling in her chest at the thought, trying to flood her mind with thoughts of hope that they would get her out of this safely.

"You like to fish with bait?" Zoom asked, his deep voice sending shivers down Sophia's spine, but she moved before Barry could. "I do too." She shot out into the sky, flying after Linda who Zoom had just pushed off the edge of the building. She caught her in a bubble of energy her body bouncing inside. Sophia carefully brought them down to the ground, picking Linda up in her arms and flying her as far away as possible from Star Labs. She felt terrible for leaving Barry to fight Zoom on his own for the moment, but she needed to get Linda as far away as possible. She was a target now and she couldn't leave her defenceless.

"Cisco, what's happening?" Sophia asked through the comm. as she quickly dropped Linda off at the West household, telling her to lock the door and stay hidden until someone returned to get her. Linda nodded, trying to calm herself down as she watched Sophia fly back up into the night sky, like a bullet darting through the air as she rushed to get to Star Labs.

"He's not running away," Cisco said. "Ooh, he's gonna thunderbolt him!"

"What?" Harry asked.

"Jay taught him how to throw lightning," Caitlin explained.

"Barry what the hell are you doing?" She whispered to herself as she rounded the curve landing on the forcefully on the ground, her two feet almost stomping as she came to a stop. Just as she landed, Barry had completed his last turn, curving in the air with perfect form, the lightning bolt that had formed in his hand now travelling through the charged air with a forceful speed, heading directly towards Zoom. Sophia's eyes held a look of hope only to be crushed when Zoom caught the god damn lightning with his hands. Her heart fell into her stomach and she knew that their worst nightmare had come true.

"Shit."

"Did you guys see that?"

"See him catch a bolt of lightning with his demonic claws? Yeah, saw that."

Sophia tuned out their conversation in the lab as she focused in on Zoom, trying to find something, any form of weakness or spot that Zoom had been favouring to give her some idea of what to do next. But every blast of energy she threw at him, he had easily dodged. She found that he was practically ignoring her, focusing on attacking Barry more than anything, the two moving too fast for her to keep up.

"What do you want from me?" Barry yelled at Zoom in between punches, speed talking. In the corner of his eye he could see Sophia almost frozen in place as they were moving much faster.

"Everything."

"You want to be me? Is that it? You want to be a hero?!"

"Heroes die," Zoom taunted.

"Only if you can catch them."

Barry then ran towards the opposite side of the building, the yellow lightning flowing off his body just as fast as the blue trailed off Zoom as the two entered a race.

"What the hell is going on?" Sophia asked on the comm. pressing onto her ear piece.

"They're racing around the city, at the rate their going you won't be able to catch up. Stay above Star Labs, it'll give you the perfect vantage point to dart off once they stop moving so fast," Harry instructed and she did so, hovering above the roof as she watched the streaks of lightning move across the streets of Central City.

"How is Barry gonna match Zoom's sped?"

"Genius. He's not gonna match it. He's gonna take it out of the equation altogether."

"What are you talking about?"

"Terminal velocity, the highest velocity attainable by a falling objected."

"They're gonna freefall through the air?" Sophia asked, as she saw them approaching Star Labs.

"Yeah, freefall fight. Their drag equals the downward force of gravity, making the net force zero, making…"

"Equal velocities. That's genius."

Zoom and Barry were on the roof a moment later, Barry rolling on the ground, groaning in pain as Zoom stood over him. Barry was sure that he had multiple broken bones and he couldn't even begin to describe the throbbing that came from the gaping wound on is head as he felt the blood trickle down his swollen face.

"Stay down," Sophia yelled at Barry, twisting her body around so that a ring of energy blast in all directions, the circumference of the energy larger than the roof of Star Labs. It had been enough to catch Zoom off guard because he had ran around the roof only to be hit by the energy regardless, sending him tumbling in his step. It only distracted him momentarily before he ran towards her. She focused her eyes, using her heat vision to hit Zoom, barely scorching the back of his suit as he once again moved out of the way. He was just too fast, and she was nowhere near fast enough to keep up with him just yet.

Zoom ran towards her from the side this time, moving faster than before as he pressed his flat palm against her chest, sending her reeling backwards and crashing to the ground. Zoom had then run over, speed kicking Sophia in the ribs on all sides, leaving her gasping for air as her lungs felt like they had been crushed by his boot.

"I've been watching you, Sapphire Knight, but alas this visit wasn't for you, but for The Flash." With one final blow to her back she was laying on the ground, gasping for air, eyes wide as she clutched at her chest, winded from the hit. His words would later be played over in Sophia's head and she would realise that he was indeed the dark hooded figure that had been following her for the past few months.

"Never forget, I am the fastest man alive."

From the time it had taken her to get back up on her feet as she pushed back the aching pain, Barry was gone and so was Zoom. Her heart was racing in her chest, the adrenaline in her body on a high as she flew out into the city, aching to follow the streak of lightning to find Barry.

"Cisco, where is he? Where did he take Barry?!"

"He's killing him!" Caitlin yelled out, and only the worst of images were flashing across Sophia's vision. She could hear her blood pumping in her ears and all she could think about, all she could feel was the need to protect him, to save him, to stop Zoom and she was terrified because she knew that she couldn't.

"Where is he?" She yelled in panic. "Where's Barry?!"

"W-we don't know," Cisco said softly and Sophia stopped in the middle of the city, hovering high in the sky, her breathing erratic and the pain in her chest throbbing as she tugged at her hair painfully, eyes darting all around. "W-What do I do?"

"He's heading towards Star Labs," Harry yelled, informing them as his watch beeped. He had specifically set it to match the frequency at which Zoom ran, to alert them upon his arrival.

Sapphire had never flown faster, her cape billowing behind her as she kept her body slimline, like a dart in the night, eyes glowing bright as she made her way back. She landed inside the cortex just on time it seemed as Harry had the gun aimed at Zoom. With all her might and power, Sophia formed an energy barrier around Zoom, encompassing the entire space around him as she captured him in a bubble. She sent shocks of electrical energy through it, causing Zoom to twitch uncomfortably as he tried to phase through the barrier. It had been 30 seconds tops, but the longer she held it, the weaker she felt. She could feel something wet drip from her nose and she had a feeling that if she were to touch it, her fingers would be stained red with her blood. She held it for a few moments longer, just enough to give Harry and Joe on opposite sides of the rooms to fire at Zoom as she released the barrier.

Zoom caught the bullet charged from Harry's gun, but he hadn't known that Cisco had been lurking on the side, and he howled in pain as the needle struck his back, the speed dampening serum injecting into his system instantaneously. Sophia then formed one last bolt of cobalt energy, feeling a sense of triumph as it hit Zooms chest, the dark speedster exiting the scene and making a run for it as they exploited his weakness. But that sense of triumph was quickly squashed when her eyes found Barry slumped on the ground, lacerations across his face and blood pouring from a wound on the side of his head.

She wobbled over as best as she could, trying to ignore the shouting of Harry and Joe from above her. She barely concentrated on the conversation, only picking up key pieces that Zoom had Harry's daughter Jesse and that was the reason for him coming to this Earth in the first place. Weakly she created a thin layer of energy underneath Barry's body and levitated it, lifting it up and into the med-bay where Caitlin got to work quickly, patching him up. If she hadn't felt so light headed she would have helped, but she was seeing doubles and she wasn't sure that was a good sign.

"Do you understand? You love Barry. I love my daughter, and none of these children are safe as long as Zoom is here," Harry yelled at Joe. "I tried on my Earth to capture him. I failed. I thought I could bring him down here with Barry's help. I was wrong."

* * *

It had been an hour or two and Sophia felt more awake than she had before and she had Cisco to thank for that. He had been a saint in fetching her a bottle of water and a change of clothes. She hadn't wanted to move, but after Caitlin had stabilised Barry, the doctor had insisted on checking Sophia's wound on her chest as well.

She had told Caitlin that her chest and stomach area looked like a Jackson Pollack, with splatters of blue, green, yellow and purple wrapped around her previously clear skin. Caitlin glowered at her, clearly not in the mood for such jokes to which Sophia apologised, closing her eyes as she felt Caitlin's gloved hands apply a cream after cleaning up the blood and grime and then wrapping it in what white gauze and bandage she could find around the lab. It seemed as though they had been running out of supplies lately, and Caitlin made a note to get some more.

"How's he doing?" Sophia asked, not opening her eyes.

"He's stabilised. Vitals are normal, we're just waiting for him to wake up before we can assess any other damage," Caitlin said in a very professional voice, one Sophia was used to hearing and it kept her calmer than she should have been in that moment.

Once she had been done there and changed into a pair of black workout tights she kept at Star Labs with one of Barry's old blue jumpers she had curled up on a chair next to his bed, sitting opposite Joe who hadn't moved from Barry's side since. Over the time they had worked together, seeing him go through all the dangers and risks, she had never seen him this banged up before. There were cuts and bruises across his face and his neck was supported by a white brace.

"You okay there, Soph?" Joe asked as he noticed Sophia staring off at Barry with an empty look in her eye. She turned to look at him with a tired face, giving him a nod.

"I'll be okay," She said, but she couldn't find the strength to muster a smile for him, not until she knew that Barry would be okay. Every moment they spent by his side that he was unconscious was another moment filled with worry and dread. She hadn't watched the footage of Zoom's relentless and savage attack on Barry but Joe had filled her in on most of it. She was scared that the damage that had been done to his back and spine was going to be something permanent or worse.

It had been a few more hours and she had started to drift off into a sleep when she felt Barry's fingers twitch against hers. She instantly sat up in her seat, her eyes blinking the sleep away.

"Bar," She whispered. "Joe I think he's waking up."

"Hey, he's waking up," Joe called out into the other room, Cisco and Caitlin both rushing into the room, their footsteps loud as they bounded in.

"Barry, can you hear me?" Sophia asked, moving to get a closer look at his face as he blinked his eyes open. He had a look of panic and fear on his face, but he relaxed a little at the sight of her face.

"Hey," He breathed out and she held back a sob.

"You scared the crap out of us," She told him, giving him a wobbly smile, her eyes tearing up.

"You were gone for a long time," Caitlin told him, her eyes darting to the clock to see that it had been nearly eight hours.

"How bad is it?" Barry groaned out.

"Bad."

"If you didn't heal so quickly, I'd be very worried," Caitlin said.

"Linda…how is she?" Barry asked, turning to look at Sophia.

"She's fine, I dropped her off at Joe's during the fight. She should be in Coast City by now, I sent her there for a while to stay with some friends. She'll be safe," Sophia assured Barry.

"Zoom?" Barry asked, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer. Joe shook his head, looking down.

"Let's… let's worry about Zoom when you're up and about, okay?" Joe said. Barry nodded as he pushed up on the bed using his arms as he tried to get up.

"Oh, no, you're staying put," Joe said, pulling the blanket back over him.

"Yeah, seriously, you got your ass kicked," Cisco said and Sophia was glad that he was there to kill the serious mood, even if it felt slightly inappropriate at the time.

"No, guys, I can't feel my legs," Barry's voice cracked as he looked down back at his legs and then back up at his friends and family standing before him, shocked expressions on their faces.

"I can't feel my legs."

Maybe it had been the exhaustion from staying up for so long, the poor physical shape her body had been in due to her injuries or the trauma that Zoom had scarred them all with but once those words had passed Barry's lips, Sophia had promptly fainted, Joe catching her in his arms just as her eyes rolled back into her head, leaving her vision dark.

* * *

 **This chapter was a monster.**

Thank you again for all of your lovely reviews guests, and users alike. You're always making my day and making me smile by leaving your thoughts and comments on the chapters and the story in general.

My finals are starting soon, so the next chapter will come in 2 weeks, and then after that they might be every 3 weeks, just for a month or so, depends how much writing I can get done. It's been a struggle to get anything written down with my busy schedule.

Don't forget if you want more Sophia/Barry go check out New Romantics on my page, it's one-shots and AUs of the couple and other characters alike to keep you entertained while you wait, and it's honestly so much fun to write/read, so please check it out and leave a review.

 **Replies** :

Natalie: Thank you for your review. I'm excited as well, but let's get season 2 out of the wa first haha and we'll see how it goes.

AmyRoxx123: Awww thank you for your review.

.2016: Thanks, hope you enjoyed this one too.

Shika93: Thanks for the review!

Grace003: I might write a one-shot about how E3 Sophia died. Plus, you guys will be seeing E2 Sophia soon when Barry and Cisco travel to E2 to stop Zoom. Not to mention that there was actually a clue hidden in this chapter, something referring to E2 Sophia.. anyone want to take a guess?

Guest: Thank you so much, they are so adorable, writing about them makes me so happy.

Riana Chere: Thank you so much for the lovely review.

-Queen: Thank you! Yes, everyone is excited for E2 Sophia, maybe you can spot a clue about her in this chapter?

RHatch89: Thanks for being such a loyal reviewer, loved hearing from you again. I'm excited to write E2 Sophia as well.

 **Hope you're all having a great day, and Happy Halloween!**

 **Til next time.**

 **Heroherondale. x**


	10. Gorilla Warfare

CHAPTER TEN

Barry had been in bed for two days before he regained an inkling of feeling in either of his legs. It had been another day until he was able to wobble on both feet with the help of a four arm support walker frame that Sophia had _borrowed_ from work after throwing in a few favours with Brian. It had then been another day when he had swapped the walker for crutches, but even then he struggled to make it a few steps away from his bed before collapsing in a heap on the floor, with a broken spine and crushed hopes.

It wasn't just the physical scars, but the psychological scars of Zooms attack that had left an impression on them all, particularly on Barry. Sophia had stayed by his side the whole way through, only leaving when she needed to grab a shower or a proper nap, finding it impossible to get comfortable in a chair with her thoroughly bruised ribs, only leaving the room if someone else had been there to relieve her spot. Usually Joe or Iris came in and took over, not wanting to leave Barry alone. He had been suffering through nightmares during the early hours of the morning, with dark visions of Zoom attacking the people he loved, with him unable to keep up. He could cry out in his sleep, yelling in frustration from not being able to move and from what had happened, finding that he was only able to sleep if someone was sitting by his side.

Sophia didn't mind this small sacrifice, as long as he was recovering. She felt a sliver of relief when she noticed that the dark circles under his eyes that had once been a dark violet were now clearing up and he was looking better than before.

But each time she looked at him, she still felt this terrible guilt weighing down on her shoulders. She hadn't been able to help him in the way that she should have. Her powers once again hadn't been enough. The same thing had happened last year when they had gone up against the Reverse-Flash, but somehow, this was worse. Maybe it was because Zoom was far more terrifying than the man in yellow, or the fact that Barry had been nearly killed, but she couldn't stop the feeling of unease that settled in her stomach each time she looked at him. It was like she was stuck in a constant state of anxiety and she couldn't escape it. In fact, it had been so bad that she hadn't eaten anything in the last 24 hours without wanting to throw up, so she stuck to just sipping on tea that Cisco would occasionally make, snacking on a few dry biscuits when she felt hungry.

"Want me to re-adjust your pillow?" Sophia asked. She had been watching Barry fuss, shuffling in the bed for a few minutes now and she knew that the position of his pillow was annoying him. He had moved it once before, his arms still having their strength, but he still couldn't get comfortable.

"How do you know it's my pillow?" Barry asked, narrowing his eyes playfully at her. He had been in a crap mood all morning having been stuck in bed, but Caitlin told him that the fastest way for him to recover was to rest, and do physiotherapy. He had done his physiotherapy for the day that morning and though it was excruciatingly painful, he just wanted to walk again, to run again. He didn't like this feeling of hopelessness. The only reason he wasn't moping too much was because Sophia was by his side. He couldn't be more thankful for her presence. She was always there for him and that was something that ignited feelings of happiness and loyalty within him. Knowing that she was always going to be there made him feel at ease, it made him feel safe.

"Let's just call it intuition," Sophia joked, standing up and moving to fluff up his pillows, getting Barry to roll over as best as he could as she squeezed a pillow behind his back and then two behind his head. She also rubbed his shoulders a little bit, massaging it lightly as he leaned back into the bed.

"That's so much better," Barry sighed as he felt his body relax a bit more. "You have healing hands."

"That I do," She said giving him a smile.

"But your healing kisses are much better," Barry said almost timidly, a light blush spraying onto his cheeks.

"Are they?" He wanted to laugh as he saw the twinkle in her eye.

"Hmm, I could do with a few."

"Okay, but only a few. I have to save some for later," Sophia told him with a grin. She sat on the edge of the bed and leaned forward carefully, meeting him in the middle. His lips were slightly chapped but it didn't take away from the softness and innocence of the kiss. She poured out every single emotion she could as she cradled his head in both her hands. When she pulled away, she then moved her lips, brushing them across his cheeks, then his nose and then his forehead. Each kiss was a message. _I love you, I need you, I can't live without you._ She held her lips against his forehead for a moment longer before drawing back and resting her head on his chest as she curled up on the side of the bed, finding that this position was comfortable for them both as she settled down.

"Try and get some sleep, Allen," Sophia whispered as she closed her eyes. He was blushing but she had moved into a positon where she couldn't see it and he was sure that his face was tinted pink. She never failed to amaze him.

"Goodnight, Soph."

"Night, Barr."

Barry drifted off into a peaceful sleep that night and prayed that with the morning a better day would come.

* * *

The next day had only brought on more frustration, and a lot of yelling.

Sophia and Harry had gotten into a yelling match, and even though they were a few rooms down with the door shut, it wasn't impossible to hear them throwing curses at each other. Barry was sitting down on a chair with Iris and Joe keeping him company, Iris telling Barry about her mother being back in town again when they heard the loud voices.

Cisco had ran by the room telling them not to worry and that they were just talking things out, but that didn't stop Barry from wanting to walk over there and break it up.

"Why won't you let me help you?" Sophia's arms were crossed against her chest as she glowered at Harry from across the room, watching him violently pack a bag.

When she had confronted him this morning on a whim, she had discovered the true reasoning behind his arrival here on this Earth. He had planned to help Barry and use their team to defeat Zoom to rescue his daughter. Without taking down Zoom, her life was in danger. Sophia had not expected to hear that. She had heard Harry yell something at Joe last night, but in the midst of all the drama she hadn't paid any attention to it at all. Her heart almost shattered in her chest as she listened to him tell the story of how she had been taken from him, of how she had been in Zooms clutches for so long. Sophia could picture this young and bright girl being broken the way that Zoom had tried to break Barry and she wanted nothing more than to just yell at how unfair the world was. She always had a soft spot for kids, and hearing about how this one had been hurt so badly made her empathise with Harry's situation.

But that didn't mean that their relationship was back to their normal level of agreeing to disagree. Harry had made it clear that he was going back to Earth 2 to stop Zoom while the speedster was still weak. Sophia insisted on coming with him, and he shot her down once again.

"You can't do anything on my Earth that you couldn't do here. Trust me, _I know._ It's safer if you just stay, she's my daughter and I'll get her back. Alone."

That's when the yelling had then begun, and both started to spurt out feelings of anger and frustration that had built up after the attack last week.

"Fine, do whatever you want, I was only trying to help," Sophia told him before walking out of the room. She was sure that her face was red from all the shouting and she could feel her throat tighten up slightly at the thought of what Harry had said to her. He had basically told her that she wasn't strong enough to protect those here on this Earth from Zoom, so why should he take her with him. There was also something about the way he had said that he knew that she wouldn't be of any help on his Earth that had shook her the wrong way. She knew he was hiding something more from them but at this point she didn't care anymore.

The white converse sneakers on her feet squeaked against the tiles as she dragged herself back into the cortex. She was still dressed in the clothes from the night before, and she attempted to rearrange her hair into something that didn't resemble a rat's nest, swiftly braiding it as she walked into the room. She was meant to be helping Barry with another physiotherapy lesson now that Joe was here. They were going to try and get him to walk with a walking stick and see how far he could go. Now that the bone in his lower leg had healed there had been no need for the crutches, he just needed something to support his spine that had gotten the brunt of the damage.

"Everything alright?" Joe inquired and Sophia gave him a half-hearted yes as she grabbed the walking stick from across the room. Iris moved out of the way, giving them some space, standing by Caitlin and Cisco as they watched Barry get up.

Sophia was standing on one side of Barry, Joe on the other, their hands carefully hovering as he tried to move across the room with the walking stick. He was doing well enough to hand the stick over to Joe after a minute or two, trying to walk without the extra support. He only made it a few steps on his own before he nearly tripped over his own feet. He let out a grunt of frustration and disappointment in himself as Joe and Sophia moved to catch him, grasping one arm as they steadied him on both feet.

"I-I can't do it right now, all right?" He was feeling on edge from all the yelling, and then with the added pain and lack of progress as he moved, it just made him feel useless.

"Oh, yes you can, Barry," Joe encouraged.

"No, no, no," Barry said, throwing down the walking stick as he slumped down in the wheelchair that Sophia had moved behind him. She clicked the wheels in place, taking the breaks off, allowing him to roam free.

"Barr, you've been making so much progress." Sophia crouched down in front of the wheelchair and lifted up the little flap at the bottom, giving him somewhere to rest his feet. "Trust me, you're doing well." She had seen many patients with this type of injury unable to move or feel anything, and so what he was doing right now, what he was enduring was both impossible and amazing.

"Yeah, six whole steps," Barry grumbled.

"Someone get me a Bozo button," Cisco commented.

"Hey, give yourself some credit," Iris said. "You just broke your back."

"A normal person would have been paralysed for the rest of their life. It's only been a few days and you're on your feet. That's progress, Barry," Sophia said, and he only gave a tight lipped smile in response. Everything had seemed to peaceful last night, and it was as though it had all disappeared when he woke up, like he was reminded the true reality of the situation.

"How long until I'm fully healed?" Barry asked.

"The initial MRI I took a few weeks ago showed a complete dislocation at the T12-L1 interspace of the thoracolumbar junction. But the MRI I took this morning was promising," Caitlin said, bringing up the X-RAY and MRI images up on screen. The difference was astounding and Sophia was so grateful that he was healing well.

"It's remarkable, but you're almost completely healed."

"I'm still having trouble breathing." He noticed that it felt as though he had to put more effort into breathing in and out, an uncomfortable pressure on his sternum each time he did so.

"That comes within the territory of any spinal injury, it should clear up soon, but if it doesn't we can always get you back on some oxygen," Sophia reassured. They had been putting him on a little bit as he slept anyway, just as a precaution, but if it was really affecting him and making him feel sick they could give him a bit during the day as well. But Sophia figured that the worst of it was over and that his speed healing would soon fix it up.

Barry nodded and let out a heavy sigh, his eyes darting over to his red suit that stood in the glass side by side with Sophia's.

"We're going to get you back in that suit, Barry."

"Real quick, trust me."

Barry mustered a small smile and he was thankful he had such supportive friends.

"What are we gonna do about Zoom?" Barry asked the dreaded question that many didn't want to answer, let alone think about.

"No sign of him since Cisco nailed him with that tranq. dart," Joe informed.

"And I haven't vibed since then… maybe Zoom's not coming back," Cisco mused, toying with a fray piece of material at the end of his shirt.

"I highly doubt that," Harry said as he entered the room, most heads turning to look at him. Sophia rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she stood next to Barry. "Which is why I'm gonna do something about it."

Harry was dressed in his signature black ensemble, but this time he was wearing the same hooded jacket he arrived with, a bag slung over his shoulder along with the speed dampening gun that was fully loaded.

"What do you mean, go do something about it?"

"I need to access to your breach room and your speed cannon," Harry said.

"Why is that?" Barry asked.

"Because, Barry, it's time to go home."

"So you show up on our Earth, you screw everything up, and now you want to go home?" Joe remarked. The angst was real.

"Sounds very familiar," Cisco muttered.

"Again, that wasn't me," Harry said. "I need to go take care of Zoom once and for all before anyone else gets killed," He defended.

"How do you plan on doing that?" Iris asked with crossed arms.

"I'll think of something. Ramon, if you'll escort me to the speed cannon."

"No, no, you can't go through the breach," Caitlin jumped in, walking towards Harry to stop him from leaving.

"Yeah, he can. Jay taught us how to send people."

"That's not what I mean. Look, if you can figure out how to stop Zoom on your Earth, you can figure out how to do it here. We need you to stay here until we defeat Zoom, Dr. Wells," Caitlin said. She looked at him with pleading eyes, hoping that he would understand.

"What I need, Dr. Snow, is to return home," Harry said sternly. "And I am going to do that, with or without your assistance."

"What are you doing?" Cisco hissed at Caitlin. "If Harry wants to go…then bye," Cisco waved enthusiastically.

"Look, like it or not, Cisco, we need his help."

"I'm not sure another plan from Wells is what we need."

"Yeah, I mean, the last bright idea he had nearly got Barry killed," Iris said.

"I know, but Jay's gone, and Dr. Wells knows Zoom better than anyone, so until Barry is back on his feet again, we need to keep Wells around in case Zoom returns."

"Caitlin, if he doesn't want to be here, then we're better off without him. Let him go," Barry said.

"I can't do that. Not yet."

Sophia helped Barry out of the chair once again. He wanted to move closer to the others so they could chat, and found it easy to stand if he held onto the railing by the computers, but for good measure, Iris stayed on one side, Sophia on the other in case he fell.

An alarm beeped from Cisco's phone and Sophia groaned.

"Please don't tell me that's another meta-human attack."

"Nope, nope, my bad, that is just an alert for me," Cisco said, a light tint of pink on his cheeks.

"For what?" Iris asked.

"Oh, it's just a reminder. I have a date in an hour, so…" He trailed off.

"Oh, with who?" Iris teased, wagging her eyebrows suggestively.

"With the lovely Kendra Saunders, the barista at Jitters. Oh, she makes a mean latte."

"I think we're gonna go out for dinner and a movie, and then, I don't know, maybe some breakfast," Cisco said, mumbling the last bit, a grin shaping on his lips as Joe and Sophia laughed.

"Wait, breakfast?" Barry asked, playing dumb. "Why breakfast, I don't…" He shook his head in confusion.

"Yeah," Iris said to a flustered looking Cisco.

"Cause you know, you go home…" Cisco tried to explain with flushed cheeks.

"Cisco," Sophia drawled, and Iris let out a giggle as Cisco continued to babble.

"And…"

"He's messing with you," Joe said, trying to contain his laughter.

" _Oh."_

"Go on then, woo the pants off her," Sophia said with a wink and Cisco flushed red before glaring at Barry for his teasing as he left the room.

"I better head off as well, I've got a story to write, if anyone needs me, you know where I'll be," Iris said, waving goodbye as she left, leaving Barry and Sophia alone in the cortex.

"That was mean," Sophia said with a serious face before the two of them burst out laughing.

"Did you see how hard Cisco was blushing, we should have gotten a photo," Barry laughed.

"Mmm, well I better get going," Sophia said, walking backwards.

"What? Where are you going?"

"Well you see, I have a date with my boyfriend in, say thirty minutes, and thing is, he's a bit picky with his food, so I've gotta go pick up this extra-large order of Big Belly Burger before I meet him," Sophia said and Barry shook his head, a smile playing on his lips.

"Extra fries?"

"You know it, handsome." She gave him a flirtatious wink before flying out of the room, leaving a wandering Joe to come back and help Barry back into the wheelchair.

* * *

"I'm going to take a wild stab and guess that you're here without the consent of the rest of your fabulous team," Harry spoke up as he continued to scratch down notes on the disposable menu in front of him at the low-key bar he had hid out in, referencing a map of the breaches to aid him in his quest.

"It's been difficult having you here, for all of us," Caitlin said, taking a seat down on the rusty bar stool next to him.

"You don't have to worry about that anymore, because I'm leaving," Harry said, clenching his jaw.

"We can help you save your daughter," Caitlin told him, getting a reaction instantly. His head shot up and he looked at her, and then around the room carefully before capping the lid on the pen he was using. "I know that's why you want to go home."

"Look, I made a big mistake coming here, my plan was to come here get The Flash's help to stop Zoom, and my plan failed. I don't have another plan, except to go back home and face Zoom myself."

"So let's say you go back to your Earth, and you fight Zoom. He will kill you," Caitlin said. She didn't want Harry to die. She found that he was actually a nice person, deep down, once you passed through all of the angst and brooding. "And how does that help your daughter? Look, the best way to save Jesse is for you to stay here, and work with us as a team."

"No," Harry said. "Now, please leave me alone, while I discover which one of these breaches is gonna get me home."

"You know, you're lucky Cisco and Professor Stein never figured out how to close all the breaches, cause then you'd be stuck here," Caitlin commented with a hint of frustration, her eyes quickly glancing at his notes. She stood up and began to walk away, pausing in her step when he called out for her.

"Wait." She turned around to face him, her brows furrowed. "We close the breaches, all of them, except one, so Zoom only has one way to get to this world."

"The breach at Star Labs," Caitlin said as Harry circled it on his map.

"Exactly," He let himself smile for a second, savouring the sliver of hope that appeared. "And then we set a trap."

* * *

After gorging themselves on fast-food, Sophia let Barry have a quick nap, especially after he had insisted on seeing her wounds once again. It became a daily routine of his, to ask her how she was feeling, and to demand to see the area of her abdomen and chest where Zoom's boots had crushed down. She was glad that the initial hues of purple and green that had marred her skin had died down, leaving it looking more normal than before, but each time she pulled her shirt up the slightest for him to see, she could see the guilt in his eyes, like he was responsible for doing it. So as fast as she had shown him, she had covered it up, telling him to rest a little before their next therapy session in an hour.

He was looking more down than ever this morning and she couldn't help but wonder why. She hoped that he wasn't still hung up on the whole _six steps_ from this morning, but she had a feeling it was something more than that. After what Zoom did to him, she knew that he was struggling psychologically as well. Not only were the nightmares bad, but she could see it in his eyes every time they ran through their physio, every time they spoke of his recovery progress.

Joe had spoken to Barry, Iris had spoken to him, so had the rest of the team and she wasn't sure what else to do. She rubbed the side of her head, wracking her brain for an idea when it suddenly clicked. She knew that if she had been in that position she would have dialled her father on the spot, wanting his care and advice. And though Joe was indeed Barry's adoptive father, he knew that sometimes it just wasn't the same. She carefully got up from her seat, checking that he was sleeping soundly, placing a soft kiss on his jaw before moving just outside of the room. She didn't want to venture too far, but she wanted to make sure that she didn't wake him up.

She dialled Henry's number, excitement bouncing in her step as she felt this would be the best thing for Barry, but it was quickly squashed when it went to voicemail. She decided to leave a message anyway.

"Hey Henry, its Sophia, I uh, I'm just calling because I think you're due for a visit in Central City," Sophia said as she turned, watching as Barry slept through the glass window. "Barry is in a tough place right now, and he needs you. He needs his father more than anything. When you get this message, please call me back… bye."

Seeing as though Barry was sleeping peacefully for once in a while, Sophia grabbed one of the surface tablets laying on the desk and took it into the room, forgoing the keypad and using the touch screen instead as not to cause a lot of noise as he slept. She sent out more than a dozen emails to various work colleagues, and Brian in particular. She had taken the last week off work as sick leave, and had nearly used all of it up, but Brian assured her that after what had happened at the hospital a few weeks ago with Blackout, she was more than welcome to take a few days to herself. The hospital board was worried that the situation had given her PTSD and left other unsavoury feelings lingering. They were also extremely grateful that she had put herself before others. She had prevented countless lives from being hurt or taken that day, and they couldn't thank her enough, so this was their way of repaying her. In reality it had a little bit, but by now she had gotten used to this life so that it didn't affect her that badly. The only reason she hadn't gone into work was because of the extensive damage done to her body and Barry's fragile state. She sent messages of thanks to her manager, letting them know that she would hope to be back soon.

The hour had trickled on by and before she knew it, Caitlin had returned with cups of coffee in hand, and a message that Joe would soon be on his way over. Sophia went into the room and carefully woke Barry up, making sure not to startle him. When his green eyes fluttered open, a soft expression on his face as he glanced up at her sleepily, she couldn't help the smile that graced her lips.

"Morning sunshine."

"What time is it?"

"Time to get your cute butt walking," Sophia said. She helped him sit up in bed, and gave him a moment before he got up on his own feet, taking a few slow steps by himself.

"How does that feel?"

"Better than this morning," Barry said with a sigh of relief.

"That's good to hear, Caitlin wants to run a few more test on you, and if you're up to it, she wants to get you on the treadmill, just to do some preliminary tests and see how you're going," Sophia said but she was quick to add that if he didn't feel up to it, he didn't have to attempt it today.

"No, it's okay, I want to try," Barry said, and she placed a kiss on his cheek, handing him the cup of coffee that was on the table next to him.

"Drink this, and I'll get you something to eat, and then we can get to work."

"Yes, Ma'am."

* * *

The entire drive over to Star Labs was a blur. Joe's mind was preoccupied with the information that Patty had given him only a half hour ago. The crime scene they had been at was a disaster, pieces of metal and concrete dislodged and scattered on the ground of the facility, not to mention the copious amounts of dried blood that were splattered across the pavement.

He agreed with Patty that this wasn't a coincidence. It had been the second lab technician that had died in the past two weeks, and the same item had been stolen. He made a mental note of the name after Patty had told him that it was a serum called Cortexin. As soon as the spitfire detective had explained that it was used to treat a blood disease of the brain, and then the way in which the bodies had been found, his mind instantly went to the conclusion that they were dealing with a meta-human.

He just hoped that it wasn't another breacher out for The Flash's blood. They didn't need that on their hands right now. Joe had never been more grateful for Sophia having her powers back. They knew that Barry wouldn't be able to handle any physical cases until he was fully healed, and knowing that she was there to help took the pressure off his shoulders.

Arriving at Star Labs, Joe was met with Caitlin helping Barry into the room to get on the treadmill. Joe jumped in to ask where Sophia had disappeared off to, not having seen her leave Barry's side since the attack.

"She's downstairs doing some training of her own," Caitlin said, loud enough for Barry to hear. But when Barry turned around to step up on the treadmill, Caitlin pulled Joe to the side and whispered to him.

"Barry insisted on her going down to get some fresh air and alone time, but I have a feeling its because he doesn't want her to see him fail again. He can't stand seeing her blame herself."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

Having finished tying up the laces on his sneakers Barry jumped onto the treadmill as Caitlin controlled it from outside the room. He started off with a slow walk which then became brisk until he was jogging. The speed was slowly being increased and as it did, Barry moved faster, well he at least tried to move faster and run with the machine, but he could feel the ache in his back and the struggle was real.

"Faster, Barry!"

"There you go."

He was running faster than before, his body slowly getting into the swing of things again but he knew that he couldn't keep this up for much longer. His vision was becoming fuzzy and it was almost like he could hear Zoom in his ear, taunting him, telling him that he was pathetic, that he was worthless, reminding him that he wasn't the fastest man alive. Each breath he took was a gasp for air and it reminded him of how he couldn't breathe when Zoom had snapped his spine, it brought him back to that night, and he felt like his body was on fire. He could feel the sweat building up on his brow and he clenched his jaw as he tried to push his body just a bit more, but it wasn't working. He slammed his hand down on the emergency stop on the side of the machine panel, nearly tripping as it came to a stop.

"Are you okay?" Caitlin asked and he nodded through the glass, holding up a hand.

"Oh, yeah, you know, I'm not great right now."

Caitlin looked to Joe with pitiful eyes and he gave her a reassuring nod before walking over into the room, helping Barry sit down, passing him a bottle of water.

"What happened?" Joe asked, knowing his own son enough to see when something was bothering him.

"It's nothing. I'm good, all right? Just forget it."

"Barry. Talk to us, we can help you," Caitlin reminded him through the mic.

"No, you can't help me. Not this time, I'm sorry."

"What up, Barry?" Joe asked now that they were alone, placing his hand on the speedsters shoulder.

Barry took in a few deep breaths, running a hand through his hair roughly.

"Zoom destroyed me. He showed everyone in Central City what he could do, and that I'm powerless to stop him. They gave me the key to this city, Joe." The crack in Barry's voice was evident and it broke Joe's heart to hear him give up hope, the kid who would always persevere was now giving up. "I'm supposed to be their hero. I'm supposed to be the guy that can protect them from something as evil as that, and I failed in front of all of them."

Barry let out a groan, burying his face in his hands. "When they think of The Flash, all they see now is someone not strong enough to protect them."

"Barr, you might be a lot of things, but a failure is not one of them."

It was silent in the room below spare the sound of fists hitting a bag, and heavy panting.

Sophia was pounding out her fists against punching bag in front of her that was filled with sand. She had two gloves wrapped tightly around her knuckles that were fraying at the edges from the wear and tear of her training. She had changed into a pair of running tights, with a red hoodie on, the sleeves dawn up to her elbows as she ducked and twirled around the back, throwing punches and kicks, using her powers and sometimes just her own raw strength.

She had been at it for a while now, and though she was beginning to grow tired, she kept pushing herself. She knew that out on the field she wouldn't have time to take a break, she needed to build up her endurance again, and this was one of the best ways.

She had started off with laps around the room, both on foot and flying, then upgrading to do some push ups and then chin ups using one of the spare training bars that had been laying around. She had told Caitlin to call her up if anything important happened with Barry's training, but it had been a while and she had no message, so she hoped that everything was running along smoothly.

She was just about to flex her arm once more, bringing it back, ready to swing when something stopped her. She froze in her step, her body paralysed as a familiar animalistic voice trailed through her head.

 _No, oh god no, please, no._

She felt all her inhibitions slip away, all her thoughts, all her will, it was all gone in a matter of seconds. Her face had contorted from pain and confusion into one of dismissal, completely void of emotion. Her eyes were once again empty and she was trapped inside her own body as her feet moved, trailing down through the hallway until she reached one of the back doors leading to the abandoned car park outside the back of Star Labs. Her head turned, not of her own accord and her eyes met Caitlin who was in the same state as herself before turning ahead to see the hulking mass that appeared. Grodd reached forward, swiping up the two he had been controlling in his hands and jumping away just in time, leaving The Flash to run outside too little too late.

Barry was surprised to receive a call from Patty, having thought that she would have been able to handle the forensics on the case with Joe until he was back into commission, but he answered the call nonetheless. He didn't mind helping out, if anything it would take his mind off how bad things were proceeding.

"Patty, what's up?" Barry answered.

"Turns out our dead scientist cases are linked," Patty said, a hint of excitement in her voice. Barry almost wanted to laugh if it wasn't so inappropriate to do so, after all, they were discussing a murder case.

"Okay, hit me."

"Well, the other scientist stole a large quantity of a racetam drug, typically used to treat patients with Vertigo."

"Okay, so we got two stolen drugs, one for blood disorders of the brain, and the other one for Vertigo. What's the connection?" Barry asked. He had briefly remembered what Joe had told him, but he hadn't had a chance to properly look over any of the evidence on the new case.

"Well, they are both nootropic drugs, used to enhance intelligence."

"Hey, did you get the results from the hairs you found?"

"Yes, I did. Uh, apparently they were all over the other crime scene too. The weird thing is, they're not human hairs. Uh, they're hairs from a…"

"From a gorilla," Barry finished a look of disbelief on his face.

"How… how did you know?" Patty asked.

"Patty, I gotta go."

"But… uh." Barry had hung up before she could say anything further. It was a moment later that Cisco came running into the cortex from where he had been hanging out downstairs with the Speed Cannon, after Caitlin had punched him.

"Did Caitlin come through here?" Cisco asked in a frenzy, pushing some of his hair back into place.

"No."

"She just hit me in the face and ran away."

"Yo!"

"Grodd!" Joe yelled as he looked at the screen showing the CCTV footage.

" _What?_ "

"Grodd's back!" Barry told Cisco.

"Caitlin! That must be why she was acting like that, she was being mind controlled," Cisco realised in a panic.

Barry focused his hardest and managed to run outside where Caitlin was just leaving, his speed coming in and out in bursts, but he had made it there just in time to see both Caitlin and Sophia being taken by Grodd.

"No!" He yelled out in vain, trying to move forward but his body would not comply. His hands were on his knees, his back hunched as he tried to catch his breath.

"Cisco, he's got them both. Sophia and Caitlin, they're both gone."

* * *

Barry was now sitting back in the cortex with the rest of the team gathered. Joe had brought Iris along upon hearing the news, and Cisco had gone to fetch Harry. They needed his help. With no powers, and the only team member with them having been captured by the very gorilla they needed to take down, it was going to be one hell of a mission. They needed to come up with ideas and fast, and just the thought of Sophia being taken by Grodd once again made him feel nauseous. He remembered the last time she had been taken all too well, and the aftermath that it had caused. She had been thwarted with nightmares for weeks, not to mention the physical scars that they had endured post-Grodd, and they hadn't even won that time.

"I'm continually amazed by the similarity between our two worlds," Harry said as he looked over the video feed one more time. They had the different camera feeds on screen side by side with the same time frame. Sophia and Caitlin had both froze at the same time, both of them donning the same void look before they left the building.

"You got talking gorillas on your Earth, too?" Joe asked, surprised to hear it was a common thing.

"Oh, yeah."

"Remind me to never go there."

"Ramon, why would this Grodd abduct Dr. Snow and Sophia?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. It doesn't make any sense. I mean the last time he took Sophia it was because of her powers, he tried to use her to defeat Barry. But Caitlin…" Cisco trailed off, wracking his brain for an answer. "I mean, she was always so nice to him."

"He mind controlled two lab technicians to steal chemicals that enhance intelligence. He wants her for something."

"Well, looks like he left his bachelor pad in the sewers."

"Grodd's a big-ass gorilla," Joe blurted. "He can't just waltz through downtown in the middle of the day without anybody noticing."

"Right, and if there's been sightings, then we might be able to approximate his location."

"I can call CCPD. They can access the tip hotline, send over files of Grodd's recent attacks."

"I'll check with my contacts at CCPN, see if anyone's seen anything," Iris said, swiftly leaving the room to get to work.

"Good. We gotta get them back," Barry said, his eyes still glued on the screen, not leaving the image of Sophia's form. _I gotta get her back._

"We will," Harry said.

"Barry, you can't blame yourself for this. There's nothing you could have done."

"I still don't have my speed. How are we supposed to save them from Grodd?" Barry asked.

"You may not have your legs just yet, but you still got that brain. Use it. Help us figure that out."

* * *

 _Caitlin_.

"Grodd?" Caitlin voiced groggily as she came to. She blinked a few times, looking down at her hands and then around as she realised what had happened. Grodd had kidnapped her. She tried to contain her fear in the moment, eyes darting around to see Sophia standing in the corner, still like a statue. Sophia's brown eyes were void of emotion and she didn't make a single sound, or movement, the rise and fall of her chest the only indication that she was actually alive.

"You remember me?" Caitlin asked Grodd, her eyes now focusing on the dark gorilla standing a few feet away. He was somehow taller and much larger than she remembered. He moved forward and around the room, his footsteps obnoxiously loud as he snarled.

 _Caitlin… always… kind_

"Why did you bring me here? Why did you take my friend?"

 _Need help._

"I… I don't understand," Caitlin said.

 _How did I become Grodd?_

"Oh. That's a long story, Grodd," Caitlin sighed. "Um… the dark matter from the particle accelerator explosion? That's how this happened."

 _Repeat._

"Repeat?" She asked in confusion, taking a step back when Grodd snarled at her once more. She tried her best to steady her heart rate but it was hard to keep calm when he was staring her down. She could feel his breath on her skin and she could barely see anything other than his fur.

 _Need to repeat Grodd._

"You want me to make more like you? I don't know how to do that," Caitlin told him slowly, hoping that he believed her.

 _Learn._

"I-I can't do it, I don't know how," Caitlin tried to get Grodd to see her point of view one more time.

 _Learn or friend dies._

Grodd grunted in Sophia's direction, narrowing his dark eyes at her. When Sophia screamed out in pain, clutching her head, eyes frantic as she gasped for air, Caitlin quickly yelled out.

"Okay, okay, I'll do it. Just don't hurt her."

Grodd stopped a moment later, leaving Sophia's body to collapse to the ground, and an uncertain Caitlin to figure out what to do next.

* * *

"Keep that chin down, Slugger," Henry told Barry, leaning against the door as he watched Barry run.

"Dad?" Barry breathed out, not expecting to see him off all people. He felt a warmness in his chest at the sight of his father and didn't hesitate in returning the hug when Henry walked over.

"Yeah, Slugger."

Barry walked over Henry to the med-bay, and what had currently been his bedroom for the past week with his unplanned extended stay. Henry listened as his son speak to him about the current situation, how Sophia and Caitlin had been taken, and briefly mentioning the accident that left him broken in this way. Barry made sure not to go into much detail at all about what happened with Zoom, not ready to discuss it with his father just yet, but Henry knew anyway. Sophia hadn't mentioned it in her voicemail, but upon arriving back in Central City and meeting up with Iris, the reporter had shared the details in the hope that Henry could be there for his son during this dark time. His heart ached for his boy as Iris recounted the tragic events, showing him the video that had been plastered in the media the past few days after Zoom had attacked. Henry had saved Barry the trouble of going into it all, and placed a hand on his shoulder and told him he would give him a quick check up. He knew that look in Barry's eye. Even when he was a little kid, going to another Doctor made him nervous and he always wanted him to do another check just to be sure. Henry was sure that Barry had grown out of this, but seeing the fragile state he was in he knew that it couldn't help to make him feel safe, like when he was a kid.

"There we have it," Henry announced, pulling out an x-ray and hanging it on the wall, the picture illuminated by the light, showing that his spine had completely healed.

"No spinal cord edema. I don't see any subacute haemorrhaging. Bone fused beautifully," Henry praised as he looked at it. "You're all good, Barry. I'd give you some physical therapy, but you don't need it."

"I'm really glad you're here, Dad."

"Me too."

"You know, I tried to call, but you can't get a cell in Granite Peak National Park, so…"

"Granite Peak… what are you… you went camping by yourself?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got a tent. I went fishing every day," Henry said, a smile forming on his lips. He hadn't had that freedom in a long time, and he was so glad for it. "I have had my fill of largemouth bass for a while."

"I'm glad you had fun, Dad."

"Sometimes you just have to slow down to get back to where you want to be."

"Yeah. Look, Dad…" Before Barry could speak further, Cisco was yelling, calling them out of the room.

"Hey, guys! I think we found them."

"Yeah?"

"Grodd has to be in one of these three bell towers. The only reason we couldn't find him on any cameras underneath the city before is because he upgraded from a bachelor pad to a penthouse, like a baller," Cisco said.

"Okay, so we know where he is. We still don't know how to get them back," Barry said, running a hand through his hair. Barry only had partial speed back, he was able to move in small increments but that was about it, anything long distance and powerful like they would need to take Grodd down was out of the question.

"We got a plan for you."

"What's the plan?" Barry asked.

"We use me," Harry said, his voice travelling from the mouth of the cortex. Barry turned his head to see Harry in the suit, but all his mind screamed was that it was the Reverse-Flash. Barry ran towards him in a flurry of rage, his speed getting him that far as he pushed him back against the wall, pressing his forearm to Harry' throat.

"That's Harry! That's the other Wells!"

"Barry," Joe called.

"Let him go," Henry jumped in. "Let him go, Barr."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Barry muttered. He took a step back giving Harry room to breathe as he pulled off his mask.

"We found another suit in the Time Vault," Cisco explained as Barry continued to glare at the yellow suit.

"I thought he was dead," Henry announced confused at what was happening.

"He's dead," Joe confirmed. "This is… this is Harrison Wells from Earth-2."

"Earth-2?" Now Henry was super confused.

"I'll explain later."

"If we can get Harry to convince Grodd that he's Wells, that he's his father, maybe we can convince him to let Caitlin and Sophia go."

'I'm not gonna be able to help if anything goes wrong," Barry warned Harry.

"That's a chance I'm willing to take," Harry said.

* * *

"Looks like we're 0 for 2 on the bell towers, huh?" Cisco said. He and Harry had gone around to all the sights to inspect, and potentially enter if they found Grodd's hideout. Cisco was now trying to do one final prep for Harry in the van, trying to get him to embody Wells. They might have had the same face, but they were very different people, and they needed him to make a convincing one otherwise they would all be toast.

"I like to think of it more as, now we know exactly where they are."

"Okay, let's do this again. Gimme your best Wells."

"I'm not doing the _Wells_ again, Ramon."

"I told you…"

"Look. I just made these anti-mind control ear buds. They could fail, and if they do, you're toast, so you're gonna need to nail it if you want to live," Cisco reminded Harry. He also knew that if Harry failed that there would be a risk that Sophia and Caitlin could get hurt. He knew what it was like to lose one of his friends, and he didn't plan on suffering through it again. They were all counting on Harry to pull this off.

"Ramon," Harry sighed. The only reason he even cared to make sure that he would be safe was for Jesse, so he took in a deep breath before trying again.

"Cisco," Harry said in his normal voice, pausing and trying again. "Cisco." _There we go, that's better_ , he thought to himself. He had dropped his voice an octave lower and found that it was easier to imitate the other Wells. "In many ways, you've shown me what it's like to have a son."

"What? Okay, let's… let's just try again," Cisco said, suddenly his mind flashing back to the memory of that day. "This time, up the creep factor, like, a lot more, and make it a little more sincere. Like you really love me, but you're gonna have to kill me anyway."

"Cisco. In many ways, you've shown me what it's like to have a son."

"Yup, that's the one. Here you go," Cisco said swiftly, handing over the ear plugs to Harry, who shovelled them into his ears, making sure they were snug and in position.

"Yeah, we're moving onto the third location," Cisco informed over the comm.

"Copy that," Barry said, letting go of the mic. He was standing next to the desk, tapping his foot anxiously on the floor. He was worried about how things would play out next and he prayed to god that Sophia and Caitlin were both safe.

"Now we wait."

"So this is what it's like every time you go after one of those meta-humans?" Henry asked.

"Uh, pretty much. Only, Cisco and Caitlin are normally the ones in here and I'm out there with Sophia," Barry said, furrowing his brow at the reminder that he wasn't there to save them. To save her.

"Well, there's no reason you shouldn't be," Henry said and Barry bowed his head in a bout of shame. "Iris showed me what happened."

"With Zoom?"

"That was hard to watch," Henry said. "I can only imagine what that must have been like for you."

"He showed everyone in Central City that their hero wasn't good enough to stop him," Barry scoffed the bitter words out. Every time he thought of it, spoke of it, he was reminded of the failure that he had become.

"Well, that's certainly what it looked like. Was he right? You're body's healed, Barry, and yet here you are, feeling the shame of losing." Henry knew that his words were harsh, but he knew his son. He knew that Barry wasn't one to give up easily, and he just had to show him that he could make it through, that he had the power to persevere, to keep moving forward.

"I can't stop him," Barry whispered. "I know it. He knows it… and now everyone in this city knows it too," His voice cracked and he tried his best to hold back his tears. "They don't believe in me anymore, Dad. I can't do this."

"At my trial for your mother's death, a lot of our family and friends were in the courtroom. They heard awful things about what I had done to your mother. It didn't matter that it wasn't true. Every day, I could see it on their faces, the moment when I lost them, until everybody had stopped believing in me. Well that was my reality," Henry spoke. His voice was steady and calm and not full of the overwhelming emotion that Barry's contained when he spoke. He had a lot of time over the years to come to terms with what had happened.

"You know, I was gonna serve a life sentence for a crime I didn't commit, but worse than that, every time I looked at someone in the eye from that moment forward, they were gonna believe that I had killed the woman I loved in front of our son. So yeah, I do know what it's like being destroyed," Henry admitted.

"How did you get past that?" Barry asked. His father had never told him that before, and it was starting to put things into perspective for him.

"I embraced it," Henry said simply. "Accepting it was the only way that I could move forward, but I know that if I could survive that, and learn to believe in myself again, then I could survive anything."

Barry listened quietly to his father's words and nodded, feeling a sense of relief as he continued to speak.

"You know what lit that belief in me, Barry? You. 11 year old you, running around, believing in me, gave me that hope. And now I'm giving it back to you, son. No more monsters can take that from us."

And for the first time in a week, Barry was starting to feel a sense of hope, and he grasped onto it with all his might.

* * *

"So one of the main differences between ape and human brains is the white matter and connectivity in the brain cells. The chemicals that you were treated with as an infant were meant to overcome those differences and cause an explosive growth of both, similar to what humans experience in their first few years of life," Caitlin explained, tinkering with a bit of paper she had been writing down equations on and showing it to the gorilla before her who grunted, indicating for her to keep going.

"Maybe these chemicals can be used to duplicate that growth, and then we won't need a particle accelerator explosion."

Grodd growled and Caitlin took a step back. When Grodd inclined his head in the direction of Sophia, Caitlin blanched and she understood what he meant. When she had suggested something similar before Grodd had punished Sophia, clawing at her mind and leaving her screaming until Caitlin had gotten back to work.

Before anything further happened, a figure appeared in the room, specifically, the man in yellow. Caitlin's heart lurched in her chest as she looked over at the tall figure who had pulled down his mask, facing Grodd.

"Easy, buddy. It's me," Harry said, holding up his hands as he waited for the gorilla to hopefully recognise the face of Harrison Wells. "I'm back."

Caitlin had never been happier in her life to see him standing there. She took this opportunity to shuffle closer to Sophia who had been standing in the same position for hours on end, her eyes looking painfully red from not having blinked in a while. Grodd had essentially turned her into a statue and Caitlin felt horrible as she watched her friend suffer through this, like a prisoner in her own body.

 _Father, you died._

"No," Harry said quickly. "No, buddy, I didn't die." He cautiously took a step forward, relaxing his arms by his side, grateful that the ear buds were working. "I just went away for a while."

"All right, that's great, Wells, keep talking."

"But now that I'm back, we don't need Caitlin and Sophia anymore, do we, buddy?" Harry said. "So you can let them go."

Grodd growled, a menacing rumble bubbling up in his chest as he stomped forward.

"Come on, buddy. Let me get them out of here. Please."

 _Father never ask. Father take._

"Run," Harry yelled at Caitlin who jerked to the side, gripping Sophia's wrist tightly as she dragged them out of the building as fast as she could.

Grodd roared, pouncing forward, throwing a punch towards Harry who tried to move out of the way.

 _Who are you?_

"Cisco, you gotta get in there, man."

"Oh, Cisco, thank god."

"Okay, you guys gotta get out of there," Barry said on the comm.

"Harry's trapped. We can't leave him there." Caitlin could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins as she practically dragged Sophia into the back of the Star Labs van.

"What do we do?"

"Snap, Sophia out of it," Cisco brought his hand up lightly and slapped Sophia's cheek hard and quickly causing her to suddenly blink.

"What the fuck, Cisco," Sophia groaned in pain, bringing her hand up to her cheek. She closed her eyes for a moment, finding that they were terribly sore. She was seriously fed up with being mind controlled by a gorilla.

"Holy shit, it worked," Cisco laughed.

"Quickly, Harry is trapped inside," Caitlin said, ushering Sophia towards the door. Cisco threw her a pair of the ear plugs which she happily shovelled in her ears before flying out of the back of the van and back into the devil's lair. She formed a mass of energy in her hands, shooting it out at Grodd's back in one continuous flow of energy. She felt light headed and woozy but she tried to focus on getting Harry out of there alive.

"Get out of there Harry," Sophia yelled as she continued her attack. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Harry dart out of the room and she took it as her chance to escape as well. She threw one more blast towards the ceiling above Grodd, shattering the concrete and wood, flying out of there before she could watch it collapse on top of him.

"Go!" She yelled at Cisco who pressed down on the accelerator hard, her body crashing into the back of the van, leaving Caitlin and Harry to close the door.

"I think I'm gonna-," Sophia passed out before she could finish that sentence.

* * *

"Thank you for rescuing us," Sophia told Harry who was sitting across from her, holding an ice-pack to the side of his face where he had been throttled by Grodd. She hadn't told anyone as of yet, but she was shaking inside. The convoluted and haunting images that had flooded her vision for the hours that she had been taken captive had hit their mark. Grodd had used their past experience with both the Reverse-Flash and Zoom to torture her and it had worked. She had never felt so vulnerable, unable to control her body, her mind, and her own thoughts. She was shaken beyond what she thought she could handle.

Every time she turned a corner or someone made a noise she tried her best not to jerk, the very sound bringing up the terrifying thoughts once again. She knew that the team had more important issues to worry about so she kept her psychological trauma to herself, wanting to bury it deep inside.

"Well, we're a team, right?"

"I'm impressed. I think we all are."

"Yeah, well, we need to do something about Grodd," Barry said.

"Like what?"

"Like get rid of him for good."

"You want to kill him?" Caitlin asked.

"Considering how many people he's killed, yeah."

"This isn't Grodd's fault. He's only like this because Wells made him this way."

"Yes, but, Cait, he kidnapped you and Sophia, you could have died."

"You didn't see what I saw."

"What, Grodd torturing Sophia?" Just the mention of it again brought the memories up, and she felt a shiver go down her spine, her hairs standing up on her arm and Goosebumps protruding on her skin.

"Uh, please leave me out of this, I barely remember what happened," Sophia said stiffly, burying her face in her hands carefully as not to hit the cannula. This was already her second bag of fluids for the night. She had regained consciousness soon after they arrived to Star Labs, feeling Barry's hand in her own as he rubbed comforting circles on the back of her palm. That had been almost a half hour ago and they were still discussing their next move. She was just glad that she had him to anchor her.

"Grodd's getting smarter."

"He's lonely and sad. He wants more apes like him," Caitlin said.

"What are you saying? He want's kids? Cause I'm pretty sure one telepathic Grape Ape is more than enough for this city."

"I know somewhere we could send him," Harry spoke up, an idea lighting up in his head.

"What are you talking about?" Joe asked.

"When the singularity exploded and I discovered the breach in Star Labs, I ran similar tests and discovered the same thing, 51 additional breaches. The difference being the breaches in Central City are scattered all throughout the city, whereas counterparts in my world are most definitely not," Harry explained.

"And you know where they lead?"

"Well, I was in the process of figuring all that out when Dr. Snow so gallantly convinced me to stay, but if I am correct, this breach is gonna get Grodd as close to home as he's ever likely to get," Harry said, pointing to one of the glowing breaches on screen in Central City that was down near the docks.

"Okay, even if you're right, how do we bait Grodd to go through it?"

"My son'll do it," Henry said, turning to look at Barry. "Won't you, Flash?"

With a nod from Barry, and a grin from Henry the team began to devise their next plan to capture Grodd. It was simple enough. Barry would take Caitlin with him and they would use her to lure Grodd to one of the breaches that Wells had identified as one that could send Grodd to Earth 2, to a place where he could live…whatever that meant.

Sophia's body was still aching and she felt completely drained, almost as bad as her last encounter with Grodd. Her head was still pounding and even though she planted a smile of bravery on her face and recounted that she was fine to the others, she knew that Barry saw through her façade. She was scared to close her eyes, to even relax her mind and body for a moment, not wanting to feel the remnants of pain and torture that Grodd left lingering in her mind, like a foul stench that couldn't be snuffed out.

"So Barry's gonna lure Grodd in front of the breach?" Henry asked, confused as to what was going on. Breaches, portals, Earth 2, these were all words that had been thrown around and he was sure that a lot had changed since he was last in Central City.

"Yep, and once he gets him to the right spot, Cisco's gonna blast him into Earth 2 with his thingamajig," Joe said.

"Speed Cannon," Cisco laughed.

"Exactly."

"Well, things have gotten a lot more complicated since I got out of prison," Henry said, earning a hum of agreement from Sophia.

"Man, you have no idea," Cisco told Henry, patting him on the back.

"I'll hold things up on the home front with Henry, the rest of you should move out," Sophia said, standing up and moving the IV pole over to the desks, taking a seat in front of the computers.

"Be safe," Henry told Barry, and he gave his dad a reassuring smile before running and changing into his suit, finding himself by Sophia a moment later.

She looked up at him and gave him a tired smile. His gloved hand rested against her cheek and she leaned into his touch. "Be careful," She reminded him as their eyes met.

"I will."

"Make sure to come back in one piece."

"I intend to," Barry said, giving her a reassuring smile. He leaned down and pressed a lightning fast kiss on her cheek before picking Caitlin up in his arms and running down to the site. Wells then ushered Cisco and Joe out of the room, rushing to the van once they had collected all of their equipment, including the speed cannon gun Cisco had created with the help of Wells, making a portable replica of the larger one that Jay had built. That left Henry and Sophia alone in Star Labs, waiting anxiously to see what would happen next.

* * *

"Cisco, almost there. You ready?" Barry asked.

"I'm in position."

"Now, once you turn on the speed cannon, the quark matter will stabilise, stretching the breach about so big, so anywhere within this circle will suffice," Wells instructed Cisco. They had drawn a circle around the breach, making it easier for them all as they knew where they had to get Grodd.

"Right on time."

"Okay, come on."

"I don't have eyes on Grodd. Does anyone see him?"

"That is a big gorilla," Cisco murmured. He had never seen the new and improved Grodd up in person, and he had no inkling to do it a second time.

 _Where is Caitlin?_ Grodd roared.

"Oh, my god."

"Get up, Barry!"

The next few moments were a rush, Barry throwing speed punches at Grodd only to have the gorilla throw his hand back, smashing into Barry and leaving him sprawled on the hard ground. Barry groaned, moving to get up quickly, but Grodd had picked him up from the back of his neck and started to squeeze. His airways were closing up and his lips turning blue the longer Grodd held onto him. He tried to wiggle his way out of the gorilla's grasp, but nothing was working as he spluttered for air.

 _Where is Caitlin, Flash._

"Right here," Caitlin said, having heard the words in her own head as well. She jumped into action straight away, rushing towards the two but making sure to stand a safe distance away. She threw her hands up in the air in an act of surrender, hoping that Grodd would see this as an action of peace.

"No, no, no," Cisco muttered as he watched Grodd move carefully. They needed him to get back into the circle otherwise he wouldn't be able to hit him successfully with the speed cannon.

"You need to let him go, Grodd," Caitlin ordered.

 _Flash is my enemy. Now you, too._

"No. He was trying to save me from you. We didn't understand what you wanted, but now we do. I can give you what you want. I can give you a home. You just have to trust me," Caitlin pleaded with wide eyes. Grodd contemplated her words and dropped Barry to the ground a second later. Barry ran to a safe position away from Grodd, and Caitlin hesitantly took a step forward, waiting for Cisco to go ahead with the plan as she lead him closer to the breach.

"All right, here he comes," Cisco said. "Ready to flip the switch."

"Now, Barry!" Both moved at the same time, Cisco pressing down on the gun that was aimed at Grodd, a bright blast shooting out as Barry ran at full speed, throwing a supersonic punch at Grodd, sending the gorilla tumbling backwards and into the breach. But it hadn't been enough and Grodd was fighting his way back out of it.

"Full power!"

"It is!" Cisco yelled back.

"Barry, you can't let Grodd get free," Henry said, pressing down on the mic. "Conquer your fears, son. Believe in yourself."

"Come on, you can do this!" Sophia said through the mic. It was silent for a moment before yells of victory. Sophia let out a laugh and Henry joined in as they sighed in relief. Barry had done it. The Flash had saved them once again.

* * *

"Welcome back, Flash."

"Thanks, bro," Barry said, fist bumping Cisco.

"I can't believe something good finally came from that suit," Barry said as he looked at the Reverse-Flash suit that was being packed back away in the time volt.

"First and the last time."

"That thing still gives me the creeps," Cisco said.

"That makes two of us," Sophia said. "Can we burn it?" She asked, turning to look at them and Cisco shook his head.

"Let's do that after we figure out how to get it back in it's ring first."

"Might be nice to have something like that instead of carrying around a bag all the time."

"I can help you with that," Harry said.

"What?"

"I know a thing or two about micro-technology," Harry told Cisco.

"Yeah, you know a thing or two about a lot of things," Cisco replied sarcastically.

"Well, as long as what he knows keeps my son and these good people safe, the more you know, the better," Henry commented. He walked forward, thrusting his hand out for Harry to shake. "Please to meet you, Harrison. Again."

"Dr. Allen."

"Good to see you, Cisco," Henry said, giving him a quick hug before moving over to Sophia to say goodbye.

"Take care of yourself," Henry told Sophia, ruffling her hair a bit after he gave her a hug. "And thank you for taking care of my son."

Sophia smiled at Henry and told him it was nothing. Henry gave the team one last wave before Barry ran them both out of the room.

* * *

It had been a quick ending to their victory, everyone bidding each other goodnight as they each left respectively with something in mind. Cisco was going to head down to Jitters with flowers and chocolates to make it up to Kendra for bailing on their date when all the Grodd craziness came about, and the fact that he vibed something weird when he touched her.

Iris and Joe were going to go home to some warm hot chocolate and perhaps discuss what they were going to do about her mother's unannounced arrival back in Central City. Barry had also left quickly, dropping Henry off at the train station, leaving Caitlin and Sophia at Star Labs. Wells had retired for the night and the two girls finished up before heading back in the car to their apartment building. Sophia had never been more thankful for having Caitlin so close by.

With tired eyes Sophia leaned her head against the window of Caitlin's car, a peaceful silence hanging in the air as they drove home. Sophia found the sound of quiet traffic at this time of this night to be calming and it was slowly lulling her into a sleep. Well it would have if Caitlin hadn't spoken up.

"Are you feeling alright?" Caitlin asked, flicking the indicator and turning left onto the street of their apartment building.

"Yeah, I guess."

"I'm sorry about what happened today. I let Grodd hurt you more when I refused to help him," Caitlin apologised. She felt terribly guilty for what had happened.

"Don't apologise, Cait, you did nothing wrong."

"It feels like I did. I feel like I betrayed you, and Grodd."

"You heard what Harry said, it's a sanctuary for his kind, he'll be fine," Sophia told her. She honestly didn't care too much for the gorilla after what he had done to her, and frankly she hadn't given it much thought at all.

"Still… I'm sorry that you had to go through that again."

"It certainly doesn't bring up the fondest of memories," Sophia sighed as Caitlin pulled up into her parking space.

She found herself unlocking the door to her apartment a few minutes later after hugging Caitlin goodbye. Sophia just wanted to have a bite to eat and collapse. She walked into a pitch black apartment. She flicked the lights on, shuffling her feet out of her shoes as she headed straight for the kitchen. She flew up to the top cabinet, opening the door and picking out a bottle of red wine, and a glass.

She poured herself a glass, probably a bit too much but she didn't care too much about it at this point. She ran a hand through her hair as she downed at least half of the full glass in less than minute. She could feel her eyes watering up the longer she sat there and to distract herself she drank the rest of the glass, placing it on the bench and eyeing the rest of the bottle carefully. She slunk down to the ground, sitting against the cabinets, hidden on the floor of the kitchen. All the memories the day seemed to have attacked her as soon as she walked through the door, and she just wanted it to stop. She could still feel Grodd in her head, and the monstrous voice of Zoom taunting her.

She brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as she rested her head against them, taking in deep breaths. _You're okay, it's not real, you're fine, you're safe._ The mantra played over and over in her head and she nearly yelped in surprise when a hand touched her shoulder.

"Soph? What's wrong?" Barry asked, kneeling down to her height.

"Can you just hold me, please?" Sophia's voice was so soft and fragile that it almost broke Barry. He slid down next to her on the floor and brought her into his arms, her head resting on his chest, her hands clinging to him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Barry asked. He looked down and felt her shake her head, murmuring a _no_ in response. "Is it about something that happened with Grodd?" Barry tried again and this time he felt her freeze up in his arms before letting out a sob that answered his question. He held her tighter against him, resting his cheek against her hair, rubbing her back soothingly.

"Just hold me," She whispered, squeezing her eyes closed. She just wanted to forget the world for a moment. She wanted to forget Grodd, forget Zoom, she wanted to forget being anything but Sophia Lang. She wanted to pretend like everything was fine, because for the first time in a long time she realised that everything was not fine.

"Always… I'll never let you go through this alone," Barry whispered, as though he could read her thoughts. And so they sat there, the two broken hearted lovers holding onto each other to stay afloat.

* * *

 **A / N –** I swear I didn't mean for that ending to be so sad… also anyone notice how that last line was a parallel of E-3 Barry from chapter 1 when Sophia was on E-3?

Also I wrote this story before the S2 finale, so their version of E-3 will be my E-4.

Also you were all right in guessing that Sophia's E2 counterpart goes by the name of Shadow. EXCITING isn't it?

I posted this a day or two early otherwise it would have been over a week late. First exam went well, only 3 to go. Wish me luck!

 **Reviews: **

**Grace003** : Yup, you're right! Ooh, well you will be excited to know that she's a bit of both. A little bit of good and a little bit of bad. Super excited for you guys to see her.

 **Trutlekier42** : I'm so glad! Yeah, I've been giving Sophia a bit of a tough time lately, haven't I? Hope you liked this chapter.

 **CupCakes24** : Oh my goodness, this review was so sweet, it brought the biggest smile to my face. I'm so glad that you are having fun reading. YES. It's going to be so much fun to explore E2 and the characters on there. I'm thinking of bringing Eddie back to E2? I loved his character in S1 and I was so upset they killed him off. Thank you so much as well for that, I'm trying to move on from that stage, but I'm happy to know that you're here and supportive.

 **.2016:** Thanks, hope you liked this one.

 **Natalie:** YES. It is E2 Sophia. She'll definitely be fun, and much more dark than Sophia on E1. So it's going to be a new side of her. Thanks for all your reviews. I'll try and incorporate Kara into an episode, otherwise, maybe a one-shot into the future.

 **Guest:** Thank you, so happy for your review. She certainly is, and you'll all be having fun when she flies by. I'm glad you think so, after all, their relationship is a major plot point in this story, it's good to hear that it's been written well.

 **RHatch89:** 100% correct. Glad you guys all got it right!

 **The Redshirt who Lived** : IMPENDING FEELS ALERT FROM YOUR REVIEW. Thank you, honestly that's the sweetest thing, I'm so glad I caught your feels. Hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much.

Thanks again. See you next time.

Heroherondale. X


	11. Unexpected Surprises

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Storm clouds were brewing ahead, but that didn't matter. After nearly a month at sea, he was back in his home town with the rest of his crew. The Captain rolled up his sleeves, happy with the way they were parked at the dock, turning and grabbing a pair of rusted keys. He walked down the hall of the ship, his boots echoing with his loud footsteps as he threw the keys at his first in command, ordering him to retrieve the stowaway that they had found a week ago. The Captain then instructed the rest of the crew that it was time to go home, making his way down the ramp and onto the docks of Central City.

"Welcome home," Giorgio, his best mate greeted in a gruff tone, watching as the rowdy crew eagerly exited the boat. He was standing on the docks, waiting for his friend and Captain Alivio to arrive, jaw clenched as the cold winds travelled through, stinging his skin as it flew by.

"Any trouble?"

"Nah," Alivio said, patting Giorgio on the back as he embraced him in a quick and manly hug. "But believe it or not, we got ourselves a stowaway."

"He give you his name?"

"Didn't say," Alivio said. "Sat in the brig silent for three weeks," He said, holding up three fingers to emphasise his point. "He was all decked out in this when we found him."

One of the other crew members brought forward the long coat, as well as the multiple knives and weapons that they had found once they did a body search on the man. Another crew member dragging said stowaway forward.

"Jeez, how many are there?" Giorgio asked.

"32," The stowaway answered, earning a glare from Alivio. "And I'll polish them all in blood before long. I've waited a long time for this hunt, and you have brought me very close to my prey."

"Mister, you're not gonna do any hunting in those handcuffs."

"Oh, but, Captain, you're wearing the cuffs," The man said and Alivio looked down a second later to see that his hands were bound.

"Who taught you that…Houdini?" Guns were drawn and pointed at the man as they waited for him to answer.

"Actually, I taught him."

Chaos erupted, gun shots were fired and knives were thrown. Soon the three crew members, Giorgio and the Captain Alivio were sprawled out on the wet wooden boards of the dock, blood seeping out of their deceased bodies as the man known as Vandal Savage stood over them, a psychotic grin on his face as he looked at his handy work, all managed with a few of his beautifully crafted ancient knives.

"Soon another sacrifice will be made," Vandal proclaimed, and he knew exactly which bird he had in mind.

* * *

"He just hit 1,375." Sophia was sure she would never get bored of watching Barry run. At least that is what she had told herself, but after sitting here and watching as Harry and Caitlin instructed him to keep doing the same movements over and over, it was getting tiring.

The only reason she had been sitting there was because she had gone on a morning flight, gliding in the air only to nearly get hit by a helicopter as her eyes got lost in the sky and her thoughts up above. She had lost her momentum and balance as she moved out of the way, crashing into the side of a building. No one was hurt, but she was left thoroughly bruised on the right side of her body and Caitlin insisted that she rest for a few hours, assuring her that the ache would soon be gone because of her accelerated healing. Caitlin was quite impressed, noting that Sophia's healing, though slower than Barry's, was beginning to improve and work better than before.

"What's the fastest Barry's run?" Harry asked and Sophia scratched her head as she tried to think. She was sure it must have been when he ran back in time. She was just about to answer, but Caitlin beat her to it.

"Little over Mach two, when he ran back in time."

"That's not good," Harry muttered to them both and they agreed with matching frowns, plastering fake smiles as they turned to look at Barry through the glass window as he ran on the treadmill.

"That's good, Barry," Harry said quickly as he pressed the mic button on and then off again.

"We have our work cut out for us."

"But isn't that normal? I mean, I've never expelled as much energy as that time I did in the singularity, if I did my body would implode. Maybe Barry just needs to build it up again."

"I think those events, with the added adrenaline and shock of it all became a large motivating factor in the improvement of both of your abilities," Harry said.

"I'm not getting faster, am I?" Barry asked, walking into the room they were standing in. He did a quick stretch, not wanting to hurt his muscles. He could feel it as he ran, he wasn't nearly as fast as he used to be. It was like there was something holding him back, and he wasn't sure whether it was physical or mental.

"No, you're not."

"All right, well, let's fix this, right? I mean, I can't beat Zoom at this speed. It felt like I was standing still next to him." Barry was starting to get agitated.

"That's because you practically were," Harry pointed out. "Zoom is at least three, four times faster than you at this point."

"How is he so much faster than Barry is and Jay was?" Caitlin asked.

"Physiology, form, strength, could be a number of things… attitude, diet."

"Okay, all right, there's got to be something we can do. Another form of training, some sort of new way of looking at it?" Sophia mused.

"I'm sure we'll figure something out," Caitlin said, trying to stay positive.

"I've gotta go, it's Patty. There's a new crime scene down at the docks," Barry announced, checking his phone after he felt it buzz in his pocket.

"See you later," Sophia stood up on her toes and placed a sweet kiss on Barry's lips before he ran out of there.

* * *

Being a CSI, Barry was used to crime scenes that involved dead bodies, and lots of them, but this had to be the first that was so _violent_. The men- or what was left of them- that were strewn across the dock had been ripped apart, multiple stabbings, bullet wounds and Barry was sure that there was even one that had his head bashed into the side of the dock, his body half hanging in the water when the police came to fish him out.

After Barry's initial assessment one thing was clear. This was all done by the same person. He wondered if their culprit was a Meta or perhaps he was just a skilled fighter. As his thoughts ran, trying to connect the dots, he was interrupted as Patty walked over to him just as he was packing a few samples away into his case.

"Man this was a bloodbath."

"Done by one person." Barry grimaced.

"One person did all of this?" Patty asked with surprise.

"Oh yeah," Barry said, turning around and pointing to particular parts of the crime scene as he explained it to Patty. "You can see it from the blood pattern. This guy was shot first, then the police chief, then these three were stabbed before finishing off the captain."

"Wow," Patty breathed out in disbelief. "Do you think a meta-human did it?" He wanted to laugh at how excited she was for a new meta-human, but he kept it to himself.

"I don't know," Barry said, but inside he knew that it was probably the case. There was no way there was a human that had reflexes fast enough to do that. "But I found this in all of the stab victim's wounds. It's some type of cryptocrystalline... flint most likely. Probably broke off the blade during the fight. I'll run it to make sure."

"Let's see what stores sell those kind of flint knives," Joe instructed Patty who gave him a nod in response.

"Will do," Patty said, moving to get right on it.

"So what are we thinking?" Joe asked Barry now that they were alone. Barry looked over at Joe and sighed, heaving the strap of his heavy case onto his shoulder.

"Probably a meta, but I'll know more once I analyse this sample," Barry answered.

"Let me know as soon as you find anything."

"Sure thing, Joe."

* * *

The time volt was certainly a useful resource and Sophia wondered why they hadn't used it much before. She figured it had something to do with the fact that the room had belonged to Eobard Thawne, but she still didn't see why they shouldn't use it to their advantage. There was so much to learn from Gideon and she wanted to use it to for something good for a change.

She was certainly tempted to get another look at the article that had been there before. She wondered if now that they had altered the timeline by stopping Eobard, if it had changed at all. But she stopped herself from doing it, not ready to face the facts and drama that would ensure if it hadn't. She knew that she had to leave that behind, and let he pieces of the future fall into place as they were. They had messed with the timeline enough for one lifetime.

She was asking Gideon all sorts of questions, trying to figure out how the device that Eobard/Wells had used to enhance his speed. She wanted to know if it was just the device itself that he had used or if he had built up his speed force with other factors. Perhaps there was some sort of drug or serum that he had used to enhance his speed, but at this point she didn't want to explore that aspect. She knew that it was dangerous considering what Jay had explained to them previously about speed enhancing drugs. She didn't want to take that risk. Plus she had faith that Barry would be able to get there on his own, she knew how strong and determined he was to see this through. He would make it happen.

"Hey, whatcha doing?" Barry asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. She turned to look at him, giving him a warm smile as he entered the time vault.

"Just some research," Sophia said, turning back to the screen and instructing Gideon that she could shut down, the AI politely bidding them both goodbye.

"About?" Barry asked, dragging the word out.

"About Eobard Thawne," Sophia said with a hint of nonchalance. "I'm just trying to figure a few things out that might help you with your speed."

"You didn't have to. I know how hard it is for you, for us both being in here, talking about him," Barry said. Barry knew that she was strong, and had moved on from what had happened, but after their recent encounter with Grodd, and the painful memories and wounds he had reopened, he was worried about her. She still hadn't fully opened up to him about everything that had happened, only briefly mentioning the visions the gorilla gave her about both the Reverse-Flash and Zoom.

"I think I'll be alright." She tried to give him a smile, but he could see that it wasn't real, it didn't reach her eyes like it usually did and that made his heart ache. He took a step forward to bring her into a hug when an alarm went off on his phone. Both Sophia and Barry's eyes went wide. They had created this specific alarm for each member of their team in the rare situation that they got kidnapped or needed help.

Barry whipped his phone out of his pocket to see that it was Cisco who was sending out the SOS.

"It's Cisco, he's at Jitters," Barry rushed out to Sophia who gave him a nod. Barry zoomed out of there with his suit on as Sophia ran into the cortex to grab her blue leather, and fly over as fast as she could.

* * *

"Advantages of a trusting manager," Kendra laughed as she unlocked the front door of Jitters.

"Nice. So what's up? I thought we were gonna go to dinner?" Cisco asked. Kendra didn't answer, just smiled at him with her pearly whites, ushering him further into the café, directing him to a table she had delicately set up towards the back of the coffee joint.

"Whoa," Cisco breathed, a warm feeling erupting in his stomach. "What's going on here?" He was sure that if he combed through his entire dating history, no girl had ever set something like this up for him, and just that thought was enough to send his heart beating in a frenzy.

Placed upon the wooden table with a pearl white tablecloth sat an array of delicious looking appetisers, a bottle of wine, two glasses and a candlestick with a burning flame, setting the mood.

"I couldn't decide which restaurant to go to, so I thought we could create our own," Kendra said timidly, a light blush on her cheeks. She hoped that Cisco didn't think it was too cheesy. She hadn't been on a date in a while, and from what she could tell by her brief meetings with Cisco, she felt like he would be the kind of guy to enjoy this.

"Voila. Short rib, Yukon gold puree, and asparagus," Kendra listed as she pointed at the food that was in preparation. "Got to have a vegetable."

"This is nice."

"I like to cook," She admitted with a warm smile that made Cisco melt inside.

"I didn't know if you like red or white, so… I got you both," Cisco said, pulling out the two bottles that he had brought over with him.

"Ooh, two bottles. That's kind of dangerous, don't you think?" Kendra flirted.

"You're not gonna run away all of a sudden, are you?"

"Trust me, I'm staying by your side as long as possible."

"Good."

"You know, it's been really great hanging out these last few weeks. And it's helped make the move a lot easier, so…thanks," Kendra told Cisco. She had been sort of a loner in Central City since she arrived, and every time she saw Cisco she felt a little more at home, a little warmer inside.

"You're very welcome," Cisco said with a grin.

Kendra leaned in a little closer towards Cisco, her forehead almost resting against his, her warm breath hitting his skin as they inclined themselves towards one another, only to be interrupted by the jingling of the front door of Jitters, and the sound of approaching footsteps. Kendra took a step back and turned to see a man dressed in a long trench coat, with a leering smile on his face as he spoke a greeting in Arabic that she didn't recognise, but somehow it sounded almost familiar.

"Sorry. How did you get in here?" Kendra asked awkwardly, getting a weird vibe of this guy. She was sure that she had locked the front door once Cisco and herself had entered, not wanting to be disturbed, plus the added fact that the shop was closed for business.

"Hey, man, this place is closed," Cisco spoke up when the stranger started to stalk forward.

"You are just as beautiful in this life as any other, Priestess Shayera," Vandal spoke with an eerie tone.

"Priestess?" She furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Uh, you're going to have to go, dude," Cisco told the man harshly as the intruder kept moving forward.

"Oh, not without her… _dude_." Cisco cringed at the guys terrible joke but it was soon replaced with a sliver of fear when the man drew his coat back slightly, showing off the various knives he had in his pockets, glinting in the light as he slid one out.

"Oh, my god. _Cisco_." Kendra was beginning to panic, especially when Cisco jumped in front of her.

"I don't understand. What do you want?" Kendra asked, grabbing Cisco's hand and squeezing down on it.

"I believe I was clear."

Cisco pressed his special panic button down on his phone, hoping Barry would be there soon.

"Kendra's not going anywhere with you, Highlander," Cisco said, trying to keep the guy distracted.

"Oh, is that your name now? Kendra…quite boring," Vandal stated. "I believe it allowed you to blend in for a while. Now, give her to me, and I'll make your death fast."

"It ain't gonna happen."

"You are done here, pal," Cisco spoke as the man stood here with a sneer.

"So is he!" Vandal said as his eyes met The Flash.

Barry ran into Jitters, his head turning to see a knife flying through the air directed at Cisco and Kendra. Barry's gloved hand reached out and caught the knife just on time, holding it inches from Cisco's chest where it had nearly been embedded in.

"Oh!"

"Thank God, Barry!" Cisco said as the speedster ran the two of them away from the scene, leaving them safe from the man with the crazy knives.

"Dude, come on!" Barry exclaimed with a frown after Cisco had just blew his cover in front of his new girlfriend. Barry then rushed back to the scene to find that the man was still there, engaging in battle with Sophia who had just arrived at the scene.

Though he had fast reflexes, Sophia was getting in a few good hits as she threw blasts of energy at him. He then threw four knives at the same time, all of them moving perfectly parallel and directed at Sophia. Barry ran over, putting his arms around Sophia and pushing them both out of the way just in time to hear the throwing knives embed themselves in the wall behind them with a twang.

From her position on the ground Sophia held her hands out in front of her, throwing as much energy and pressure as she could into the blast that hit the villain square in the chest.

The man tumbled to the ground, glaring up above at both her and Barry before pulling something out of his pocket, and smashing it to the ground. Smoke erupted everywhere, and Barry and Sophia were left blinded just long enough for him to make a getaway.

"What happened?" Sophia asked, blinking and rubbing at her eyes to allow her vision to refocus.

"He's gone," Barry said as the fog cleared, leaving them alone in Jitters.

* * *

"I can't believe you're The Flash," Kendra spoke as she looked at him, her head then turning to Cisco and Sophia who were sitting in the cortex. "And that you work with The Flash."

"Yeah, let's keep that on the DL."

Sophia wanted to laugh, but she was nervous that Cisco would somehow give away her identity as well, so she kept her laughter and jokes to herself.

"This is the same knife that was used to kill the men at the docks," Barry said. He had run all the tests and the knife was carved and created from the flint metal that he and Patty had found at the crime scene. "Residue is a perfect match."

"So it is the same guy," Sophia said. She wanted to know his name, it was getting tiring of referring to him as _the guy_.

"Definitely."

"But the thing is, these blades are old, centuries old."

"Do you have any idea why this guy would be after you?" Joe inquired, watching Kendra with curious eyes.

"No, I've never seen him before in my life," Kendra told them. She was confused as to why he wanted her, and why he kept referring to her as some Priestess. It was giving her the creeps, and if she was being honest with herself, she was terrified of what would happen next.

"Well, he was certainly acting like he knew you," Cisco said. "He kept calling her Priestess Shayera."

"That's Coptic," Sophia said.

"You mean Egyptian."

"That's right."

"Well, I grew up in Wisconsin, and I've never even left the States, so…" Kendra trailed off, fiddling with her hands nervously.

"This guy, he's clearly incredibly dangerous, so I need you to at least let us try to protect you."

"I can put a detail on her," Joe said. He figured it would be best to keep a close eye on Kendra.

"You didn't see this guy, Joe," Barry told him with a shake of his head. A patrol of cops wasn't going to keep Kendra safe, and it would only lead to more dead bodies. "No offence, but I don't think a cop is going to be able to protect her."

"No, but we do have a few friends who could lend a hand," Barry said. "But we're going to need to leave Central City."

"And go where?" Sophia asked, massaging her temples with her fingers trying not to think about all the added stress this would mean for her and her job.

"You really want to go to Star City?" Cisco asked. "Come on, we don't need Team Arrow's help."

"Yeah, I think we do, man," Barry said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall.

"Man, you've fought meta-humans with abilities a lot worse than knife-throwing," Cisco said.

"I don't think this guy's a meta-human," Barry said. "There's something different about him, something, ah, mystical."

"Mystical, really?"

"We can stop meta-humans because we're scientists. We can figure out what their weaknesses are, but we don't have any experience when it comes to guys like this, with magic. They do."

"Mm, this wouldn't have anything to do with Zoom, would it?"

"No. I'm just trying to keep Kendra safe. This is the best way to do that."

"Right. Okay, I'm with you," Cisco agreed. "But how do we even know Oliver and them even have time to help us?"

"How busy can they be?" Barry mused.

* * *

The issue that came forth next lay in how busy Sophia was, not Team Arrow. She knew that she didn't have the greatest luck in the world, but she at least hoped that this wouldn't happen for a long time. She had been in the midst of packing an overnight bag to take with to Starling City with the rest of the gang when she received a call from an unknown number, with the Kansas area code.

"Hello?" Sophia answered, pausing as she rifled through her draw for some clean pyjamas. Barry was in the bathroom washing up before they planned to head out together.

"Is this Sophia?" A timid voice asked.

"Yes, who is speaking?"

"It's Jamila, your dad's neighbour," She said. "There's been an emergency and I told the hospital I would call you, that way it would be quicker, it took a while to find your number, but I was sure I had it somewhere," Jamila spoke softly, her voice now seemingly familiar as Sophia put a face to the name. She remembered Jamila to be a nice and quiet neighbour just down the road from their place, only have moved there a few years back.

Sophia's heart lurched in her chest, her mouth dry and a panic settling into her stomach as she listened to her father's neighbour speak. "What happened?! Is he alright?"

"He had a mild case of myocardial ischemia as the paramedics put it, but they've stabilised him and he will recover swiftly. He's in Kansas General now, and I think it'd be best if you came down sweetie," Jamila said.

"Of course, w-when did this happen?" Sophia rushed.

"Maybe 5 or 6 hours ago. It was a bit chaotic but I was over delivering some baked goods when it happened and I stayed with him til the paramedics arrived and even went with him to the hospital. He's doing well so far, I just came back home to pick up a few things for him. They said that he will be in hospital for at least a few days."

Sophia let out a sigh of relief, leaning against the wall, she hadn't even noticed that she was now sitting on the floor from the shock of it all.

"Thank you so much for taking care of him, I'll um catch the quickest flight I can get down there."

"Ok, try not to worry too much, he's doing alright, I'll stay with him until you arrive."

"I can't thank you enough Jamila. You're too kind," Sophia said, her eyes tearing up as she said goodbye, hanging up. She wanted to call her father and her thumb hovered over his contact details but she knew that he probably didn't have his mobile with him with his emergency admission to hospital. Shocked with the news she hadn't even noticed Barry emerge from the bathroom, seeing her sitting on the floor with her arms wrapped around her.

"Soph, what's wrong? What happened?" Barry asked, kneeling down in front of her.

"My dad, he just had a mild heart attack," She said, looking up at him with tears in her eyes. Her heart was beating rapidly inside her chest and though she was relieved to hear that he was stabilised in hospital, there was this sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that she knew wouldn't go away until she saw her dad.

"Is he alright?" Barry asked with a frown, rubbing her back soothingly.

"He's in hospital, stabilised, but Barry, I can't," She choked on her words. She knew that they would need help in taking down this new villain, but she couldn't just leave her father. He was the only family she had left, and she had to be by his side.

"Go. Don't worry about us, I can handle taking care of Kendra," Barry said, pulling her up and into his arms. She wrapped them around his waist tightly, burying her face into the crook of his neck. "As soon as I've got it under control, I'll head over your way."

"Thanks Barry," She whispered, feeling her heart rate returning to normal the longer she stayed in his embrace.

"I just hope he's alright." Barry pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

* * *

Sophia was thankful that her overnight was already packed. She threw it over her shoulders and got ready for her flight ahead. She asked Cisco to send in an email for her to work to take a few days off before leaping off the roof of Star Labs and in the direction of Kansas, determined to make it there as fast as she could without it seeming too impossible to Jamila. The entire flight over her mind was racing with thoughts about her father, whether he would be alright, and how this would affect his future. She hadn't felt like this since her mother died and she knew this ugly feeling of worry wouldn't disappear until she saw her father.

She stopped over at her childhood home first, jimmying her old bedroom window open and dumping her bag inside with a quick throw. From there it wasn't hard to find her way to Kansas General, running through the front doors like a bit of a mad woman as she made her way to the reception desk to find out what room her father was in.

"Hi, how can I help you?" The blonde receptionist asked with a smile far too happy for Sophia in her current state of panic.

"Hi, I'm looking for the room Arthur Lang is in?" Sophia asked, tapping her fingers anxiously on the table in front of her.

"Gimme a sec, and I'll find it."

After some papers being rustled, the keyboard being tapped and a few clicks later she had the room number, running off in the direction of the cardiology ward.

 _Ward 3C, room 21._ She repeated this in her head the entire ride up in the lift, as well as the rush over down the corridor as she counted the numbers til she reached 21. She thought that she would have rushed in there, barging through the door to see her father, but at this present time she had been so stressed that she hadn't even contemplated the situation properly. She took a deep breath and carefully turned the handle on the door that was numbered 21, opening it slowly.

Her sneaker clad feet padded cautiously into the room, her eyes adjusting to the singular dim lighting coming from above the hospital bed that her father lay in. His face was almost as pale as the white sheets drawn up to his chest, a thin blue blanket on top to keep him warm from the chill of the hospital air-conditioning. His eyelids were shut for only a moment, gently fluttering open at the sound of her footsteps into the room.

" _My beautiful daughter,"_ Arthur whispered in Cantonese, a tired grin forming on his lips.

"Pa," Sophia sighed, walking towards the bedside, tears forming in her eyes. She reached out and wrapped her arms carefully around him as best as she could, her body leaning over the bed to hug him properly. She hadn't realised that she was crying until he rubbed her shoulders comfortingly as she wept into his chest.

"I was so worried," Sophia began and Arthur cut her off.

"I'm fine, in all honesty, I feel fine. The staff here have been amazing," Arthur spoke softly. He knew that he wasn't fine, but he didn't want his poor daughter to worry about him so. Seeing her in such a state reminded him of her mother as well, and it made his heart ache to see Sophia in such a fragile state.

"I told you to go for regular check-ups," Sophia reminded him, taking a seat on the edge of his bed, grasping his hand in hers. She noted that it was a bit cold, and she hoped that her warmth would do him some good.

"I have been. The doctor said it was an acute onset, it all just happened so quickly," Arthur said, and it was in fact true. He knew that he was getting older, and he had a set diet and exercise regime to follow to prevent these sorts of things, but sometimes, if it was mean to happen, it was going to happen.

Sophia let out a sigh, a sad smile on her lips as she gave him a nod. "I'm just glad that you're okay. I-I uh, took a few days off work. I'm going to stay with you until you get better."

"You didn't have to do that honey, I know how stressful your life is right now with work and your extracurricular activities," Arthur told her and she shook her head.

"There's no way I'm leaving you. Work, those other things, they can wait," Sophia said leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I love you."

" _I love you too, my sweet angel."_

* * *

Two days passed and Arthur was released from hospital. Sophia had made sure to speak with the specialists, doctors and nurses that took care of her father, thanking them and grabbing any extra advice on his further treatment and care, making note of what she needed to help her father with at home to get him on the road to recovery.

And by this point, she had been in Kansas for nearly two weeks. She was glad to hear that Barry and the team had defeated their mystery time traveller to the best of their ability, leaving her with more time to spend with her father and less stress. Upon hearing that her father was unwell, Brian of all people had given her some more time of work on leave. It was a surprise but one that she welcomed with open arms. She had a feeling that since her return that Brian was warming up to her, and even though he was a pain in the ass, he still had a heart somewhere in that robotic body of his.

Barry had even ran down the day after to spend the night at the Lang household, visiting her father to see how he was going before leaving early in the morning the next day before work. She had known that he was going to come and visit at some point, just not when and it was certainly a nice surprise. It made her happy that his visit had lifted her father's spirits as well. She was glad that the love of her life and her father got along so well. They were the two most important people in her life and she wouldn't know what to do if they didn't like each other.

She had slept better that night, knowing that Barry was holding her in his arms, taking away that extra stress and worry she had been harbouring about her father's current health status. But now, with more than 14 days having trickled by, she was glad to see that his condition had improved much more and that he was nearly back on his way to being normal.

But still, there was something that was holding her back from leaving just yet. Logically she knew that she couldn't move back to Kansas, but she didn't want to leave her father alone here with no one to look after him, especially no one with any medical background or knowledge of his heart condition who wouldn't be able to pick up the key signs and symptoms of an attack, of how to treat it with the emergency medication they had stocked or what they had to do. She couldn't afford to send him to hospital again, and being a nurse, she would be able to treat him at home with what they had.

Travelling back to Central City was out of the option for Arthur, she knew that it would be too much for him at this stage… and that's when Barry came up with an idea. She had been speaking to him for over an hour about this issue, voicing her concerns and worries when he came up with the perfect solution.

"What if I send my dad over?" Barry suggested. "I mean, it's not like he's doing anything these days… plus I'm sure he wouldn't turn down an opportunity to finally meet your dad."

"Are you sure? I mean your dad just got out of Jail, Barry. He's finally free. I don't want to make him feel pressured into taking care of my dad."

"I'm sure he won't mind. It'll only be for a week or two at the most, and I'm sure they'll keep each other company. Plus, this way, you have a medical professional taking care of Arthur. I think it'll be good for my dad as well. He misses being a doctor, it'll bring back some of his confidence," Barry reassured her.

And so that was that. A day later, Henry Allen arrived at her doorstep with a duffle bag in hand and a stethoscope hanging from his neck, a bright smile plastered to his lips. Sophia greeted him with a warm hug and introduced him to her father, and just like she thought, they got along swell.

She stayed for another day, making sure that Henry was settled in and comfortable before bidding both her father and Henry goodbye, making it back to Central City before dinner to spend some time with Joe, Iris and Barry at the West Household.

When she landed on the front porch of their quaint house she could already smell the wonderful Sunday roast that Iris had been cooking up, sighing in content as she knocked on the door.

Barry opened the door a moment later and she practically leapt into his arms, planting one on him so fast that even he didn't see it coming. He sighed against her soft lips and gripped her hips a bit harder as they shared a quick kiss, leaving them more than a little breathless before they walked into the house holding hands.

"Hey," She said, biting her lip and looking up at Barry as they walked. She could feel her cheeks warm up under his loving gaze, but she didn't care about that too much.

"Hey yourself," Barry whispered, placing a kiss on her forehead, pulling her closer to him with one arm now wrapped around her waist. "Missed you."

"Mmm. Missed you more."

"Ugh, enough of your mushiness, get over here and give me a hug," Iris said, pulling off the oven gloves and throwing them on the table before running over and giving Sophia a tight hug.

"Missed you too, Iris," Sophia laughed, placing a kiss on Iris's cheek. "And your cooking, man, it smells amazing."

"Of course, it's a West original," Joe commented as he walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, greeting Sophia with a quick hug.

"How's your dad? Barry said he's getting better," Iris inquired.

"Yeah, he's doing okay, I'm just grateful that I was able to go take care of him."

"That's great to hear," Joe said. "Hopefully once he's better he can make a trip to Central City. I would love to meet him."

"I'm sure he would love that." Sophia beamed.

Joe and Iris then went to grab the remaining food and put it down on the table, even popping open a bottle of red wine. Sophia leaned her head against Barry's shoulder, listening to the bustling in the kitchen and the laughter that accompanied it. Barry put one arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him, the other intertwining with her own, her fingers sparking with electricity as their skin touched.

"It's good to be home."

Because as they say. The home is where the heart is.

* * *

 **Authors Note:** I am terribly sorry for the shortness and jumpiness of this chapter. I just had the worst writer's block and this is what turned out of it. I won't be writing a crossover for this episode like many of you had hoped and again I apologise immensely. I haven't been able to get my hands on the episodes and frankly, I haven't been watching Arrow lately, deciding to stop and it's definitely not something I'll be able to write about easily, so that's why I decided to forgo the episode.

But because of this I will try and publish a one-shot or a new chapter in a shorter time if I can get enough pumped out. I'm trying my best. Thank you again for all your support. You guys are honestly too kind. I love you all so much.

 **Also a note:** The next chapter/update will either be in 2 or 3 weeks. I am unsure yet. I'll be working hard for the next 3 weeks, so I may not be able to get anything out. Thanks for being so patient and supportive!

 **Reviews:**

 **The Redshirt who Lived:** Thank you so much for your kind review, it means a lot! Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

 **Guest:** Thank you again! Yes, that's what I love about their relationship, they're always going to be there for one another. Yeah, I do love torturing her, don't I? Hope you like this chapter too.

 **Cleo9427:** I'm not sure what I have planned for season 3 at this point, but I don't think I would have them break up. But considering the first episode was all flashpoint I might change things up a bit. She won't be dead from S1. She would come back, but things would definitely be different. But I guess we'll have to wait and see if I can make it to S3. But thank you so much for your review! Hope these questions don't haunt you any longer. I'd never kill her off.

 **Natalie:** Possibly! I don't want to spoil it just yet. But yeah, that episode on E-2 will be in the POV of E-2 Sophia aka Shadow, so it will be exciting and something new!

 **Turtlekier42:** Yes, I love to throw drama at her life every chance I get, as you can tell with this chapter as well. Thanks for the review.

 **RHatch89:** Thank you so much.

 **-Queen:** Thank you so much. They are adorable aren't they.

 **.2016** : Thanks heaps!

 **Grace003:** Thank you so much! They went really well, so I'm happy. Thanks again, I am glad that chapter came out so well. This one was a bit meh, but oh well, we gotta get it over with.

 **Riana Chere:** Awww sorry to make you cry. Haha, loved your review. Thank you so much, and I'm so sorry that this chapter was a bummer, I know you were particularly looking forward to this chapter but it just didn't turn out how I wanted. Still hope you enjoyed it though. And the next one is way better, I promise.

 **Reyna Ramirez:** Are you serious? Oh my god, that's a compliment I didn't expect. Thank you, that means a lot. I hope I didn't make you cry too much.

 **Cupcakes24:** Thanks love! Yeah, Grodd is like that. A least they got rid of him finally. And yes, your reviews always brighten my day. If I'm a kickass writer, ya'll my kickass readers/reviewers. You guys are amazing. Thank you again, and hope you liked this chapter even though I didn't that much. The next one is way better.

Til next time.

Heroherondale. x


	12. Running To Stand Still

CHAPTER TWELVE

It was that blissful and cheerful time of year once more.

Christmas was fast approaching and Sophia couldn't believe how fast time had gone by, but nonetheless was excited for the joyous holiday. The cold weather was welcomed with open arms as snow fell, blessing them with a white Christmas. The snow set the scene, filling their background with the white puffy clouds, making it all the more exciting to sit by the crackling fireplace, sipping on Grandma Ester's eggnog with their loved ones.

"Whoo!" Iris cheered, showing off the gift that she had snagged to Sophia as they walked through the front door of the West household. They had spent most of the morning shopping for gifts for their family and friends, in a last minute rush.

"I had to fight some old lady for the last one," Iris mentioned.

Sophia gave her a grin and pulled out a new skin care kit that she had gotten for Caitlin. "The lady down at the beauty bar nearly clawed my eyes out to try and get her hands on this. Lucky for me, I have super-human reflexes," Sophia laughed.

"Bless," Iris sang.

"Did you girls find anything good?" Joe asked, walking out of the kitchen with a mug of coffee in hand.

"Yes, we did, actually. No peeking."

Iris had bought her dad another cologne, noticing that he was running out of his, as well as a pair of tickets to an upcoming basketball game for him and Barry, knowing the two of them would enjoy the quality time together. Iris had then helped Sophia in picking up a few new shirts for Joe to wear for work, the two of them noticing that he had been recycling the same two colours lately.

Sophia had also bought her father a new set of pyjamas and some of his favourite artists on records, knowing that he would enjoy it as much as she did. She regretted not being able to see him this Christmas, but he wanted to spend it in Kansa with some extended family and some of their neighbours. That and the added fact that Sophia didn't want to bring her father into the danger that Central City currently held with Zoom on the run. Regardless of this fact, Sophia told her father she would come down to visit him the day after.

"I can't figure out what to get Barry," Iris commented as they found themselves sprawled across the couches after having kicked off their heels after an exhausting day of shopping. Sophia's car was full to the brim with gifts and colourful wrapping paper.

"Yeah, I'm still not sure on my choice either. I mean, I got him a really meaningful gift last year, but now, I have no idea. I'm coming up blank." Sophia had thought about it over and over and she wasn't sure of what to get him.

"I get what you mean. It's been a strange, emotional 12 months," Joe said.

"Yeah, you don't have to tell me," Iris muttered, her eyes drooping at the thought of Eddie. This would be the first Christmas since his passing and though she had moved on, the pain was still fresh at the thought of it all.

"Oh, I know, babe. I miss Eddie too," Joe told her, pulling her into a warm hug as he plopped down on the couch next to her.

"We all do," Sophia said with a sad smile. "I was thinking of maybe going to the graveyard on Christmas morning. I know that Caitlin is planning to go, and I think it would be really nice if we all went to visit Eddie and Ronnie together."

"That's a lovely idea, I'd really like that." Iris smiled.

"Well ladies, we better get a move on. This Christmas tree ain't gonna decorate itself," Joe said and the two youngsters groaned, begging for another few minutes of rest before getting working once more.

* * *

"What do you think I should get Sophia?" Barry asked Cisco as he paced in the cortex. He had once again left gift shopping til the last minute and he wasn't sure what to buy her.

"Hmm… well she has been hinting at replacing her old record player. She has a tonne of old records from the 70s and 80s tucked away in her closet but nothing to play it on."

"That actually sounds like a great idea, Cisco." Barry quickly did a search on his phone for nearby stores selling the antique record players til he found a few that he decided he would check out later.

"Uh… thank you."

"I'm gonna head out now. Iris said she would come with me to pick out the gift."

Two hours later, Barry and Iris were walking to his lab at the CCPD with a few gifts in hand, tucking them away for safe keeping. Barry was happy that at least he had everyone's gifts done now and all he had to do was wrap them, which wouldn't take him long at all.

He had started a conversation with Iris when he noticed that she had gone quiet all of a sudden, her facial expression dropping and a look of panic across her eyes.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Iris burst into tears a moment later and Barry jumped up to comfort her.

"I'm so sorry," Iris sobbed. "I can't keep this in anymore, Barry." Iris had to tell someone what had happened otherwise she was going to explode. Keeping all these secrets were starting to take a toll on her.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright, what's wrong?" He asked soothingly.

"I know I was so mad at you and Dad for not telling me that you were The Flash, but when I found out about this, I didn't know what to do," Iris rushed out, a tight feeling in her chest.

"What? What's going on?"

"When Francine came back, my Dad told me not to trust her and he was right. I didn't know how much. When my mother left us, she was pregnant," Iris said and then the penny dropped.

"She was pregnant. Joe's son. _My brother_."

It was silent for a moment before Barry spoke. "What's his name?" He couldn't believe the news, it was certainly a lot to take in.

"Wally. Wally West," Iris said, a smile on her lips. "When I found out, I told her to leave and never come back and to never tell my dad, but Barry, I feel… I feel like this is hollowing me out. Every time I look at Dad, I feel like I'm hurting him. I don't know what to do."

"I think you know what you have to do," Barry said and she looked down at her hands that were sitting in her lap, fidgeting with the ring on her finger.

"I can't. It's gonna kill him."

"No, it won't. You don't have to do this alone. We can tell him together."

"Thank you," Iris breathed out, hugging Barry tightly. She didn't know what she would do without her best-friend.

* * *

Sophia didn't know what possessed her to buy a turtle of all things when she was out shopping for Barry's gift, but it was as though the small green creature was calling her. She had bought the tiny little turtle without a second thought, along with a tank and habitat from the pet store. It had been an hour but she had quickly brought it all home and set it up, making sure to do some research and ask plenty of questions at the store about how to take care of a turtle, what they eat and their habits.

She realised after all of this that she had bought it for Barry. She looked at the cute turtle, through the glass tank that was now situated on a side table in the main living room, lightly tapping the glass with her finger, gaining his attention.

"I think I'll call you, Flash," Sophia said, laughter bubbling up inside. She figured Barry was getting part of his Christmas present early this year. She got a sticky note from her desk, and wrote in bright red colours. _Merry Christmas, meet our new resident turtle, the Flash, love Sophia._ She then placed the note on the tank before moving into her room and putting on some soothing music, and lighting a few candles.

Sophia then went into her bathroom, leaving the door slightly open, stripped out of her clothes and dumped them in the washing basket. She took her hair out of its tie, letting it hang loose as she turned on the shower, the steaming water rushing out so fast that it felt as though it was massaging her skin as it poured over her. She was just about to reach for the shampoo bottle when she heard a piece of clothing fall to the floor and she didn't have to look back to know that it was Barry, because with another whoosh he was standing in the shower under the water with her, spinning her around in his arms, ducking down and meeting her lips in a steamy kiss. Her eyes fell shut, her hands found their way around Barry's neck, bringing him closer to her. Barry smiled into the kiss his hands firm on her back as he held her close. The small breathy noises she made as his lips moved to her neck only encouraged him more, leaving her breathless and appreciative of her boyfriend.

"That was one hell of a Christmas present, if I do say so myself," Sophia whispered, moving to the side a little so that they were both underneath the warm stream of water that poured out of the showerhead. Her eyes met his and she couldn't believe that he was hers, that they belonged to each other. Her chest felt so full of love and warmth, so much so that she couldn't help herself when she hovered, her feet now well and truly off the ground to reach Barry's lips more comfortably, her teeth grazing his bottom lip.

"Merry Christmas," Barry grinned in response, a cheeky glint in his eye as he dipped her, giving her another heart-racing kiss, Sophia sighing as she melted in his arms.

* * *

"It's gonna be a white Christmas."

"Mmm, it looks amazing out. I can't wait for the West's Christmas party, it's always a banger," Cisco mentioned.

"I was thinking that if we could inject an unstable neutrino burst into the individual breaches, it might cause them to seal on their own," Jay said.

"And stop Zoom from travelling back and forth between our worlds," Caitlin finished his thoughts with a hum in agreement.

"At least then we wouldn't have to worry about him sending any more meta-humans over for Barry to fight," Jay concluded, shoving his hands into the pocket of his dark denim jeans that Caitlin admitted suited him _very_ well.

"It means a lot," Caitlin said, tugging at her pink cardigan.

"What does?" Jay asked, turning towards her.

"You looking after Barry. He's been through a lot these last few weeks." She gave him a heart-warming smile.

"Barry's not the only person here I want to keep safe." His words made her heart beat faster and her cheeks turn pink.

"Oh, dear Lord, just kiss already," Cisco yelled at the two who blushed awkwardly. "Oh, the thirst is real." They were so obviously flirting, but the two honestly were so oblivious.

"Is everything alright?" Caitlin asked, coughing awkwardly and moving over towards Cisco at the desk.

"Yeah, I keep checking, but all is quiet on the meta-human front," Cisco hummed, bored out of his mind. "Hey, you think Zoom decided to take Christmas off?" Cisco asked hopefully.

"What's Christmas?" Jay asked bluntly and Caitlin turned to look at him with wide eyes.

"Oh, well, it's this holiday we have where we cut down trees and sing songs to celebrate the birth of a baby 2,000 years ago, and then the Romans killed him so we give each other gifts…" Caitlin trailed off, unsure of how to explain it.

"That's your explanation?" Cisco laughed.

"I know what Christmas is," Jay joked and Caitlin let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, right, of course," She mumbled to herself before looking back up at him. "Um, you know, Joe and Barry and Iris are having people over for Christmas Eve, and they said we could invite whoever we want."

"Who… who do you want?" Jay took a step forward, his eyes darting between her own and her soft supple lips, becoming entranced with her beauty.

" _You_ ," She breathed out, realising her mistake a second later, leaving her fumbling with her words, a blush prominent on her pale cheeks. "I want to invite you, I mean."

"This is so painful." Cisco shook his head. "Have you guys seen Harry?"

"Uh, no, I have not. I told him to rest. He's just as stubborn as all the rest of my male patients in this place," Caitlin said. The only one who ever co-operated fully was Sophia and for that she was glad otherwise her job would be that much more difficult.

"I'm gonna leave you two alone, okay? I'm gonna go find Harry."

* * *

Barry described the day previous as relaxing and amazing, and he took it as a sign that Christmas was going to run smoothly, hoping that they could enjoy their celebrations without the chaos of their alter-ego's lives, but it was short lived.

The following morning he had been awoken abruptly by his phone buzzing. Joe had called to let him know that there had been a break out at Iron Heights by a criminal, escaping with another two. He had groaned and told Joe that he would be there in a Flash, but snuggled back up to Sophia for another five minutes, wanting to enjoy the time spent with her.

"You should go now, otherwise you're going to be late," Sophia whispered in her sleepy state, her eyelids still firmly shut.

"Mmm. I guess the sooner I get there, the sooner I get back," Barry said, bringing a smile to her face.

"Good," She hummed as he placed a kiss on the corner of her lip, jumping out of bed and rushing around his room in a second flat, packing up all of his equipment and getting changed, grabbing breakfast on the way out to work.

Barry had found himself walking through the halls of the Prison that Snart had been thrown into not so long ago, a frown settling on his face as he was given a debrief of the escape that had taken place less than twenty-four hours ago.

"Please tell me this is not happening…"

"Its official, Santa hates us."

"This sudden blizzard took out cameras and the security system. I mean, thank God nobody was killed, but there's no trace of Mardon, Jesse, or Snart," Barry told Joe. He had gone over the evidence and what security footage had been left before Mardon had destroyed the cameras.

"Speaking of which, with Mardon back on the scene…" Joe trailed off, a thought suddenly sprouting in his head

"Yeah?"

"Patty might not be thinking so clearly."

"What do you mean? What does Mardon have to do with Patty?" Barry asked, unsure of the connection.

Joe then went into detail about the real reason that Patty Spivot had been so adamant about joining their team at the CCPD. Barry felt his heart sink at the news, feeling terrible for her losing her father the way she did, but he knew that she was too close to this. When Patty had popped up onto the crime scene, he pulled her aside after she had spoken with Joe to try and talk her out of being on this particular case, knowing that her emotions may cloud her judgement, but Patty was a spitfire if anything and she wasn't having any of it.

That left Barry with no choice but to have to keep a close eye on her when they got closer to catching their devils dressed in red.

* * *

"Deck the halls with body parts from a girl named Holly, Fa la la la la, la la la la," Jesse sang in a Christmas tune, a grin painted on his lips.

"I don't remember those being the lyrics."

"I am tremendously creative. That I can tell you," Jesse laughed manically. He couldn't pin point if his feelings of joy were attributed to the fact that he was finally free from that shit hole of a Prison or because it was Christmas.

"You'd better be. I didn't break you out… I didn't break either of you out, because I was looking to make some new friends," Mark said as he turned to face both Jesse and Snart.

"That is not the holiday spirit, Marky-Mark," Jesse tutted. "Christmas is a time for togetherness. And what says togetherness more than mass graves? Hmm?"

"So why did you break us out?" Snart asked, trying his best to ignore the creep standing to his left. Now that he was out, all he wanted to do was bounce. He had things to do, places to be, and this certainly wasn't on the top of his to do list once he got out of jail.

"Well, I owed you one, and this guy, he's just crazy," Mark said, pointing to Jesse.

"It's a compliment."

"And we all want the same thing."

"Fashion advice?"

"To see The Flash dead," Mark spat with a venom that had Jesse smirking. "And his annoying bird friend."

"The name is Sapphire, and she's not a bird, you idiot, she's marvellous, and I think I'll enjoy taking her down. You can have The Flash to yourself," Jesse said.

"That hasn't gone so well for anyone in this room," Snart pointed out. He made a deal with Barry and Sophia. He wasn't going to target them unnecessarily. "What makes you think you can stop them this time?"

"Three against two. Plus, the one isn't quite what he was. See, another speedster dressed all in black nearly took him out a few weeks ago. He's vulnerable. _He's weak_." Mardon had seen not only what had happened, but the repercussions. This was the weak point that he had been waiting for and he was going to take this opportunity to take The Flash down once and for all, he owed it to his brothers memory.

"It's a mistake to underestimate him."

"With my power, his… flair, and your smarts, we can put him in the ground for good," Mark said.

"Tell me you plan." Snart narrowed his eyes.

"Tell me you're in." Mark threw back.

"I'm thinking about it." Snart pursed his lips.

"What's the matter? A few months in the clink make you soft, did it, Snart?"

Snart didn't waste a second in whipping out his cold gun, firing it up with a whining noise. No one, not even Mark Mardon would insult him and get away with it. Plus the added fact that he knew he owed Sophia and Barry one. He couldn't throw that back in their face, they did save his sister after all.

"You wanna dance?" Snart sneered, tilting his head, his gun directly pointed at Mark's chest.

"Boys, boys, boys!" Jesse got their attention. "Play nice! Mellow out, Mardon. Don't have a snit, Snart. Here's an idea. We all go out, have a few drinks, kill some carollers. We'll all feel better."

"All right."

"So what's it gonna be, Snart?"

* * *

Sophia had gotten Cisco's rushed phone call and headed over to Star Labs as soon as she heard the news. Three of their enemies were back, and Sophia wondered what she had done in her past life to deserve this. This would make it the second Christmas that was ruined and she wasn't going to have it if she had anything to say about it.

"The Weather Wizard, Captain Cold, and the Trickster. There's three of them, and one of you."

"Make that two of us," Sophia said, walking into the cortex with flushed cheeks and a red nose. She had rushed over so fast that she had forgotten to put on a coat, and flying high in this cold weather, she knew that she was bound to get sick sooner or later. She could already feel her fingertips freezing. She rubbed her hands together in an attempt to bring some warmth to her body.

"I still don't like those odds."

"We'll be fine, it's nothing we haven't done before," Sophia reassured Barry and the rest of the team with a smile.

"Oh, oh, light bulb up here. I have an idea," Cisco announced. "Most weather phenomena are marked, no pun intended, by the change of electric charge and pressure in the atmosphere. We could just map out those fluctuations…"

"To pinpoint his location." Barry nodded.

"Right, it would just be a matter of removing all…" Cisco continued.

"The electricity from his immediate surroundings," Barry finished again.

"Attracting it to one spot," Both now saying at the same time, everyone else looking at them with weird expressions.

"The same way a lightning rod does. Only instead of a lightning rod, we could use," Cisco said, Barry cutting him off to finish it once again.

"A wand."

"Have we already had this conversation?" Cisco asked.

"Kind of."

"What does that mean?" Jay asked, eyes darting between the two men.

"All right, so the last time Mardon attacked, he, um, generated a tidal wave that destroyed all of Central City," Barry said, causing everyone to look at him in shock.

"So why are you not all sleeping with the fishes?" Jay asked, receiving surprised looks. "Earth-2 has The Godfather," Jay said.

"Every Earth has The Godfather, Vito," Cisco said.

"So I ran back through time. One day into the past and I got a do-over and I stopped Mardon before he could hurt anyone." Something in Sophia's head clicked and she realised that timeline must have been the one in which herself and Cisco were killed by the Reverse-Flash. That was the only time Barry had travelled back besides when he went to save his mom.

"You shouldn't have messed with the timeline," Harry said, shaking his head, a grim line settled on his lips.

"That's what the other Wells said," Barry shrugged his shoulders. It was over now, there was nothing he could do to change that. "So the good news is, in that timeline, you created The Wand and it worked. So you just got to do it again. For the first time."

"Yeah, no pressure."

"I can give you a hand," Jay offered.

"Best of both worlds?"

"I like that." That left Harry, Caitlin, Sophia and Barry standing in the room awkwardly now.

"You good, Harry?" Caitlin asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Harry muttered before walking out of the room, most likely escaping to the lab that he usually locked himself up in.

"Holiday blues?" Caitlin questioned.

"Could be… but I have a feeling it's his daughter. It can't be easy knowing Zoom still has her," Sophia hummed to Caitlin who nodded in agreement, a solemn look on her face.

"Yeah, all right, look, I'll be right back," Barry said looking down at his phone as it buzzed.

"Where are you going?" Sophia asked.

"Iris needs me. I'll explain later," Barry said and Sophia gave him a reassuring smile that everything was fine. She reached up, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Hope whatever's going on, gets better."

"Me too, honey."

* * *

It was a cold winter indeed, the strong chilling winds travelling throughout the day enough to raise Goosebumps on Iris's arm. But regardless of this fact, as she sat in the middle of her living room, she felt as though she were being suffocated, the room was too hot to bear. She tugged at the turtle-neck sweater she was wearing, and took a sip from the glass of water Barry had passed over to her a few minutes ago as she anxiously anticipated her father's arrival. She was freaking about what he was going to say. Would he be angry? Would he be upset? Would he be disappointed? Her thoughts were stolen from her when she heard the front door open, her nervous eyes darting to see her father walk into the room.

"Hey," Joe greeted with a warm smile. When neither Iris nor Barry responded he shrugged his shoulders, taking a closer look at the two.

"Okay, the last time the two of you were looking at me like that, it was when you both took my convertible on a joy ride and wrapped it around that big oak tree on Fairmont Drive," Joe joked as he sat down at the table. He had been called home early from work by Iris, saying that she needed to speak to him about something important that couldn't wait.

"Dad, um…"

"All right, Joe, we have something we need to tell you."

"No, um… I have something that I need to tell you," Iris said, gathering her courage as Barry sent her a reassuring nod. "It's about Francine," She said, clearing her throat. "When she left us… she was pregnant."

It was silent for a moment, as though time had frozen. Joe looked at Iris and then back at Barry and then back to Iris. He leaned back in his chair and let out a heavy breath.

"Did she have the baby?" Joe asked. He could feel his heart stuck in his throat at the news.

"Yes. His name is Wally. Wally West. Short for Wallace," Iris could taste her salty tears as she spoke.

"That's what we were gonna name you if you were a boy," Joe said, a tear trickling down his cheek.

"I only found out a couple weeks ago," Iris told him. "Dad, I am so sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. That's why she reached out to us after all these years. She wanted us to know before… before she died."

"And I thought Francine was running out of surprises," Joe let out a shaky breath. "I gotta get to work," Joe said, standing up from the table, the chair dragging uncomfortably against the wooden floorboards.

"Dad, listen… Dad. I'm… I'm sorry."

"Just let me sit with it." Joe left the house with a heavy heart.

"Do you think he's gonna be okay?" Iris asked, as the front door shut.

"I do, yeah, I think…" Barry said. "It's just a lot to take in. He just needs a little time to process it."

Iris nodded and was about to voice her thanks to Barry for being there for her during this tough time when she saw movement in the corner of her vision. Barry turned before she did, facing the intruder hiding in the shadows, and Iris found herself being pushed behind Barry in a protective stance in under a moments notice.

"Ho, ho, ho," Snart said with fake holiday cheer. "Mmm. Cocoa isn't cocoa without the mini marshmallows. And you're out. I checked."

"Are you out of your mind?! Breaking into my home?"

"Careful," Snart tutted. "I made an upgrade to the cold gun," He said. "If I release my grip from the handle, the core goes critical. You might make it, she won't," Snart said, his eyes drifting to Iris who stood behind Barry.

The room was filled with a thick silence until Barry came off the offensive.

"Read your article on the disappearing middle class. Strong point of view. Nice prose style," Snart complimented Iris.

"Yeah, well, who needs a Pulitzer when you have a homicidal maniac's seal of approval," Iris snorted.

"Didn't Barry tell you? I had a rough childhood."

"Everyone in this room had a rough childhood. Get over it."

"Why are you here, Snart?" Barry asked.

"Well, I decided it would be best to visit you here first rather than show up at your girlfriend's workplace unannounced," Snart smirked. "Though that could also be arranged. It's been a while since I've seen Sophia."

"Give me a serious answer." Barry narrowed his eyes at Snart.

"Mardon broke Jesse and me out to kill you," Snart finally said. "Jesse's on board, of course. He's shaking with excitement." Snart tilted his head, "Me, I'm gonna pass."

"Why? You grow a conscience?"

"Mardon wants revenge, Jesse wants chaos. I'm just not invested like they are."

"You mean there's no money in it for you?"

"I was never much for non-profit work."

"If you're not with them, then tell me where they are," Barry pleaded.

"Nah, consider me more of a secret Santa. Besides, you and your friends love to solve a good mystery."

Barry scoffed at that comment and crossed his arms. "You are full of it, Snart. I think my friends and I saved your sister's life and you can't stand owing me a marker. I hate to break it to you, but that… that right there is called honour."

"Go on, make your pitch. I can see you're dying to."

"Help me stop them," Barry said almost breathlessly.

"Sorry, I'm not interested in being a hero."

"Well, you're doing a pretty lousy job of being a villain this week."

"Merry Christmas, Barry," Snart said, walking towards their back door, ready to leave. "And give my regards to Sophia."

* * *

Sophia let out a heavy sigh, wiping the sweat from her brow as she looked down at the list written on the inside of her palm of what she had to get done. She had lost her paper she had earlier that day and had quickly scrawled her top priorities.

There was a patient in room 1 who had been buzzing for the last ten minutes who wanted another blanket, claiming that the air conditioning was cooling out the room too much. She decided she would grab that one first, picking up a blanket on the way past room 5 where she quickly signed off on some documents after checking in on the sleeping 23 year old.

She continued on, nearly finished with her list with Paula, a fellow colleague, and caught her in the hallway. They had both been working double shifts and they were on their feet practically the whole day.

"Sophia, can you do me a favour? I have to leave early my six year old came down with a stomach bug and my-," Paula rambled on.

"Hey, it's alright. I got it. What's up?" Sophia asked.

"There's a new admission in room 4, I just need you to take history and get her settled in. The doctor will check in on her tomorrow morning. Oh, and she's due for a MRI and CT scan around 11 tomorrow."

"I got it." She yawned, stretching her arms out behind her back, feeling her muscles relax a bit more as she released some of the built up tension.

Sophia looked at her nurse's watch and saw that it was a quarter to 11. She had 15 minutes til her shift ended and she knew that this would take much longer than that. She nodded and took the file from Paula before heading over to room 4. She was too tired to even bother to flip through the folder until she got there.

She knocked on the door before walking into the room, opening the patient file before even looking up at the women laying in the bed.

"Hi, I'm Sophia and I'll be your nurse for today. Just doing a standard administration history tonight and a quick check up, Francine West," Sophia said in a neutral tone, until she paused on the last name, finally looking up at the patient before her who gave her a warm smile. Sophia blinked once, and then again as she looked at Francine, noting the uncanny resemblance she and Iris shared.

"Wow, she looks so much like you," Sophia blurted out, unable to help herself.

"Sorry?" Francine questioned, sitting further up in the bed.

"Your daughter, Iris. I'm, uh, friends with her," Sophia said awkwardly.

"Oh, yes." Francine donned a sad smile and Sophia felt guilty for bringing it up.

"If this is an issue, I can get another nurse to replace me," Sophia quickly rushed out.

"No, no it's fine. I just-," Before Francine could finish her sentence a young boy ran into the room and by her bedside.

"Mom. I came as fast as I could."

Sophia's eyes were wide as she watched the interaction. He hugged his mother before standing back up and turning to Sophia. He paused for a moment as his eyes met the cute nurse, and he blushed, feeling embarrassed for his dramatic entrance into the room. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he apologised.

"I'm sorry for barging in like that. I was just worried. They sent her from the ER and they wouldn't let me in."

"No, that's fine." Sophia was still in shock. She didn't know that Iris had a brother, and when her tired mind finally connected the dots, she realised this is what Barry had been referring to earlier when he said he needed to help Iris out with something.

"I'm, uh, Wally, her son," Wally introduced, his hand out.

"Sophia, it's nice to meet you," She smiled, shaking his hand. "I, uh, just need to conduct a few assessments, you can wait inside or outside if you'd like," Sophia gave him a warm smile.

"I'd prefer to stay if that's alright."

And with that he took a seat by his mother's bedside and Sophia got to work, keeping a mental reminder that she needed to have a chat with Iris before as soon as possible.

* * *

Sophia had spent over an hour in the room, tending to Francine and chatting with Wally. After flicking through her file briefly she saw that Francine was a palliative patient. It meant that there was nothing the doctors could really do other than monitor the progression of her illness until she died.

It made her feel sick to hear the news, especially since she wasn't sure if Iris knew the severity of her mother's illness. She hadn't divulged much of that information, only that she had met with her mother briefly. She wondered if what Iris needed Barry for the other day was the news about her brother's existence.

She bid them both goodnight, and then made her way home, her backpack snug in her grip as she flew home. She slipped through her bedroom window just after midnight, spotting Barry sitting on a thick fluffy white rug in the middle of the bedroom floor with papers all around him, and his laptop out.

She gave him a quick kiss before jumping in the shower, out in another few minutes, ready to talk about her day.

"So guess who I met today," Sophia said as she plopped down on the floor next to him, where there was a convenient spot free of CSI files.

"Hmm?"

"Francine West."

"What?" Barry asked, his head whipping to the left.

"Yeah." Sophia nodded, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. She let out a yawn before continuing. "I also met her son. Wally. I'm guessing that's the thing Iris needed help with?" Sophia asked, leaning against Barry's shoulder.

"Yeah, it's been a weird couple of days. I can't believe it either," Barry said. "So wait, where did you meet them?"

"At work. Francine came in from the ER. She's not doing too well." Sophia didn't say much more because of patient confidentiality, but she assumed that Iris would have told Barry the general details surrounding her mother's illness.

"So you met Wally? What's he like?"

"He's seems like a good kid. Super sweet, and attached to his mom. I just feel sorry for him. Francine… she's not in the best shape. The doctor's don't think she has much longer left to be quite honest with you," Sophia said, her voice soft.

"It's all a bit of a mess right now, and that's not even the worst of it," Barry said.

He then when into detail about how they had told Joe, and how Snart had jumped into the craziness of it all, breaking into the West household. She was angry that Snart had broken into the house, but she felt weirdly happy that he had warned them, even if it was because he felt as though he owed them one.

"So what are we going to do?" Sophia asked as they slipped into bed. It was nearing two in the morning, but their problem would have to wait until the next day.

"Wait until we hear from Jesse. He's usually quite public when he wants to be found. Other than that, we have no leads, no other moves. We just have to wait," Barry said, letting out a long sigh. He had been going through the old cases all night and he couldn't find any leads. He had even gone out to old sites that the both of them were known to be seen in, but there was no sign of the two criminals.

"Sounds like a plan," Sophia said softly, her eyes drooping as she snuggled up next to Barry, enjoying the warmth that radiated off him. He was like her own personal heater, and one she could cuddle with.

"Goodnight, Soph."

"Night, Barr."

* * *

Sophia found herself sitting at Joe's desk, sipping from a steaming cup of coffee as she waited for Barry to finish up his meeting with the Captain.

Joe was missing once more, and after being filled in by Iris who she bumped into that morning at Jitters she realised the true impact this was having on their family. She couldn't imagine being in such a situation, so she had given Iris a tight hug, reminding her that she would be there for them during this tough time. Sophia also made mention of her encounter with her mother and Wally last night. Iris hadn't been surprised to hear the part about her mother being terminally ill, but it was a surprise to hear that Wally was in central city. Sophia suggested that maybe Iris should reach out to him, and the reporter too this into consideration, knowing that she needed to meet her brother. But before she did that Iris wanted to make sure that things were alright between her and Joe.

Despite having gotten more than 6 hours of sleep, Sophia found herself yawning, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand and hoping that she hadn't smudged her mascara. She smiled at Patty who sat down across from her with a stressed look on her face.

"Everything alright, Patty?" Sophia asked the young detective.

"Peachy," Patty replied stiffly.

"Where's your partner, Spivot?" The Captain asked as he walked out of his office, Barry trailing behind.

"I don't know, I'm not his babysitter," Patty threw out, not paying attention to who she was talking to. It seemed to click a moment later and she let out a sigh, relaxing her stiff posture. "I'm sorry, sir. I'm not sure where Joe is," Patty apologised, turning back to face Sophia, ready to apologise to her as well when all the TV screens in the office changed to a different screen.

" _Flash-y the red-nosed speedster, had a very shiny suit, and if you ever saw him, you might even want to puke._ Merry Christmas, kiddie-winks. I'm back!" The voice of Jesse James rang through as he displayed his sinister smile on screen for all to see, a red and white hat perched on his head.

"Get TARU down here now. I want to know how he's doing this," The Captain ordered.

"Citizens, you know, the holidays can be a time for gentle reflection on the year past. Our ups and downs, our triumphs and heartaches, I'm talking about you Sapphire sweetheart," Jesse even had the audacity to wink as he said that one, his eyebrows moving up and down suggestively that made Sophia squirm in her seat as she watched on. She hadn't realised that Barry was standing beside Joe's table now and as she quickly glanced over at him, she could see his rigid stance, his right hand formed in a tight fist out of anger as he watched on. "But don't forget, it can also be a time for disembowelling out enemies. My stocking won't be completely stuffed until it's filled to the brim with bloody parts of Central City's finest fighting duo. So what do you say, speed freak? Want to roast chestnuts? Don't forget to bring along your Sapphire Knight, we can make it a double date." Laughter followed, along with his manic state on screen before they all simultaneously blacked out.

"I want all tactical units on high alert," The Captain shouted. "Get in touch with other precincts, I want watch commanders coordinating deployment. Spivot, I need you to… Spivot!" But as he looked around Patty was gone, and so was Barry. The Captain let out a huff as he took out his phone, pressing down on Joe's contact information. He needed was going to need all the help he could get if this was to be anything like Jesse's last reign of terror.

* * *

Sophia didn't even jerk as Barry picked her up and rushed them over to Star Labs, setting her down in the middle of the cortex where the team already had the video up and running on their screens.

"Are there any clues as to where he is based on the video?" Barry asked as he moved around to look at the computer by Cisco.

"None that I can see," Cisco said with pursed lips as his eyes ran over the video trying to find any minor detail that would be able to help them.

"Guys, there's a reflection of something in his cornea, see?"

Cisco zoomed in on the photo, increasing the clarity of Jesse's eye.

"What is that?"

"Not sure."

"Is that Mr. Jiggle Wiggle?" Sophia asked, taking a step forward to get a better look. She was sure that she recognised it as a toy that one of the kids had been given as a gift at the hospital by their family.

"Come again?" Cisco asked with a furrowed brow.

"It's a doll. A stuffed children's toy. I gave one to my daughter when she was six," Harry clarified.

Cisco muttered that he was on it as he opened up his searching program, kind of like a super powered google. "Mr. Jiggle Wiggle was manufactured by Okamura Toys… Yahtzee! Okamura once had a shipping facility in Central City that shut down four years ago, it's been abandoned ever since."

"Suit up?" Barry called out to Sophia as he looked up from the screen to already find her dressed in her gear, spare the mask she held in her hands.

"What if Weather Wizard's there? The wand's not finished." Caitlin gnawed on her bottom lip in worry.

"The Trickster is. We can't let him get away."

"Let's go," Sophia said. Barry picked her up and a moment later they arrived at the abandoned facility. Sophia was surprised to see that the rusty metal lock on the front door hadn't been broken, but picked. She narrowed her eyes carefully as she walked in, Barry following shortly.

Sophia cringed at the dusty and oily smell in the old factory. She was about to take another step forward to take a look around the place when she spotted a glimpse of blonde in the distance. She flew over a bit, Barry noticing where she was headed, moving to go around the other side to corner the intruder when they discovered Patty Spivot.

"What are you doing here?" The Flash asked Spivot, disguising his voice.

"Same thing as you two. Trying to catch a murderer." Patty held her gun up once more, and carefully walked around the room, only to stop a moment later when the sound of a ticking clock emanated around the room.

"What's that noise?" Sapphire asked, sparing a cautious look at The Flash.

"It sounds like a timer," Patty answered for him.

" _Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made it out of clay. We can't let Christmas hog all the holiday fun! Happy Hanukkah! Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel. I made you out of C-4! Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I'm afraid we're definitely looking at closed casket funerals."_

Sophia heard the bomb ignite like a pin drop. She sent a desperate look to Barry, her eyes looking at Patty who was closest to him. There was no way she would be fast enough to get Patty out of there safely and without getting hurt.

"Run."

Despite Barry's obvious want to save them both in that moment, he knew what he had to do. He moved to grab Patty running her out of there in a flash, as the bomb exploded, the building beginning to collapse as flames erupted.

Sophia's eyes glowed an ethereal cobalt, her hands braced out in front of her, bringing up a protective shield like bubble with all her strength, as the bomb went off, debris and fire surrounding her in a haze. She gritted her teeth as she felt her shield start to weaken the weight of a block of concrete weighed down on it. She spotted a small spot on the right of her and knew that she would have to be quick to squeeze through there and get out of her. She let down her shield and bolted, flying out of the exploding building in a rush, landing on the road a few metres away from the explosion.

Barry ran over to her after making sure that Patty was safe, helping her sit up as she coughed the smoke out of her lungs.

"Are you alright?" Barry asked with wild eyes, using his speed to do a quick check of her arms, legs and head to make sure that she hadn't been injured.

"I'm fine," Sophia coughed once more before her eyes settled on Patty on the other side of the road looking guilty, spluttering apologies as she ran over to the superhero.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for you to get hurt, or be stuck in there," Patty said. When she had seen the building go up in flames and The Flash's face drop, she knew that Sapphire had still been in there. She had hoped that the heroin would make it out unscathed with her abilities, but there was always the chance that it wouldn't be so, and she was relieved to see that she was fine.

"That's quite alright, detective. I can take care of myself you know," Sapphire teased Patty who blushed in embarrassment and guilt once more.

"It was all just a trap," Patty said after a moment, looking back at the building that had crumbled to the ground. "Mardon and Jesse aren't even here. They're still on the loose."

"How did you know to come here?"

"Because there was a reflection in Jesse's eye of Mr. Jiggle Wiggle. And that's the thing that my dad…" Patty trailed off, a faraway look in her eye. "It doesn't even matter."

"Is that why you came alone without any backup?" The Flash questioned. "Because of your father?"

"You don't know anything about me."

"We do know that you're being reckless. We have powers and we barely scraped ourselves out of that mess," Sapphire interjected. "And I'm sure that the people in your life care enough about you to not want to see you get hurt."

"Except Mardon didn't kill my father. I did," Patty shouted at the two of them. She was fed up with these criminals, and she was fed up with herself. "See, he had a little shoe shop, and we didn't have any money, so I worked there after school. Except one day I decided not to show up, because I was being stupid and silly with my friends. I didn't even call to tell him that I was ditching. So he brought the deposits to the bank, not me. He was shot and killed by Mardon, not me."

"That's why you become a cop and joined the Meta-human task force."

"It'll be legal when I kill Mardon. I have made my whole life about getting justice for my father, even if it meant I didn't have a life, and now nothing even feels real to me anymore. I don't even know why I'm telling you guys this."

"Sometimes it's just easier to say things to someone with no face."

"Thank you for saving me. Both of you," Patty said, turning to face Sapphire.

"You know, even if you get this guy that wronged you, it doesn't always make things better."

"It has to be better than this," Patty said with a broken voice, her eyes filled with pain. She didn't wait for the two heroes to reply before she started to walk away and back to her car. She knew that she had to do this.

* * *

"Atmospheric pressure just dropped 200 hectopascals."

"Where?" Sophia asked as she hovered in the air, her eyes trailing down to the roads below where she saw Barry's yellow lightning streak travel around in a circle as he waited for Cisco's response.

"Central City Square."

"The Tree lighting ceremony," Caitlin gasped. "There's thousands of people there."

"We're on it."

Sophia flew down, her cape billowing in the wind as she darted toward Mardon's location. She could see the forest green tree in the distance, with decorations and lights hanging off its branches. She hovered in the air as she slowed down to a stop in front of Mardon himself who was standing atop the roof of a building nearby the ceremony, Barry rushing to by her side a moment later with the wand in hand.

"Oh, glad to see you. Maybe you can help me."

"Help get back into a jail cell? It'll be my pleasure, Mark."

"No. No, see, I'm trying to decide if I should kill everybody down there with a deadly hail storm, or a little trickier, with acid rain, what do you think?"

"That you're a psychopath."

"Neither. You see this wand here? Guess what?"

Mardon then created two whirlwinds, flying away and towards the crowd of people with it.

"Um… guys? He's flying."

"He can fly? Since when can he fly?"

"Well, he's using his powers to alter the air pressure around him to create pockets of updraft that can…"

"No, he can fly."

"Barry, get him."

"Sophia was on it like two minutes ago." And she truly was. Whilst Barry had been marvelling about Mardon's new found abilities, she had already taken off like an arrow in the sky, soaring through the air in an attempt to meet her target.

Sophia had him in her sights, and flew even faster than before, knocking straight into Mardon, sending the both of them crashing on the ground below, a few hundred metres away from the Tree Lighting.

Barry then showed up, spinning around, collecting his speed in a single lightning bolt, firing away at Mardon, leaving the Weather Wizard with a burn to the chest, the wind knocked out of him. He then whipped out the wand that Cisco had built and directed it at Mardon, successfully attacking him.

"You didn't really think I'd let you hurt all these people, did you?"

"No, of course not, but bet you're gonna let me hurt you," Mardon smirked, and Sophia threw a sphere of energy at the bastard's leg causing him to groan in pain.

"Feliz Navidad! Time for a real war on Christmas." Jumping down from the chair himself, dressed in a Santa Clause outfit was the notorious Jesse James.

"What is this?" Barry asked as he looked at the box that Jesse had dumped in front of him.

"This is a box with a bomb in it."

"Yup, I've handed out about 100 of them today and it feels so good to give. You see, right now, there are 100 random children who've each taken home a box just like that one and are shoving it under their Christmas tree. There's no way for you to get to all of them, even if you knew where to look."

"Don't do this," Sapphire told Jesse, her heart pounding away in her chest, trying not to think about all the innocent children that may die if she killed Jesse where he stood. She shook away those dark thoughts and hoped that the team heard what was going on, praying they would be able to come up with something to get them out of this disaster.

"What? Me? Kill 100 families," The trickster shook his head, his signature sinister smile on display. "No, that's up to you two love birds. I'm just happy to take your lives."

"What do you want?"

"You're gonna stand there and let me end you," Jesse smirked as he answered Sapphire. "While your lover watches, and then I'm gonna kill him too. It took me a while to decide, but I'm quite content with the outcome," Jesse laughed. "Plus, my partner is pretty set on taking The Flash all for himself."

Sophia glanced over at Barry and she knew in a second flat that he would never let that happen. She could see it in his movement, his behaviour that he was going to do something rash, and apparently so could Jesse because he spoke once more, stopping them in their places.

"Uh, uh, ah, Mr. Flash. Move your little birdy here and Central City gets roasted," Jesse warned.

Sophia looked over at Barry with tired eyes and gave him a sad nod, looking away, unable to handle seeing his expression of pain. She didn't want to see him get hurt, and she certainly didn't want to be herself, but she knew that if they didn't that hundreds of people would die. They would just have to keep hope that Team Flash would be able to solve this one without them.

Barry threw the wand at Mardon's feet, daring one more look at Sophia as they surrendered, bracing themselves for the pain that was to come forth next.

* * *

"They're gonna kill them!"

The team grimaced as they heard their friend's cries of pain and agony. From what they could tell Mardon was attacking Barry with icicles and Sophia was getting beaten with a metal bat that Jesse had pulled out of his hat. Caitlin felt sick as she both watched and heard it go on from nearby cameras in the vicinity, and she knew they needed to focus and figure out their plan.

"Unless we find those bombs," Jay interjected.

"Cisco?"

"Jay, there's no way."

"There is a way."

"To find 100 randomly-placed bombs?" Cisco clenched his fist in anger.

"We don't have to find 100. We just have to find one and then we get rid of them all."

"How?" Caitlin asked.

"A breach," Harry breathed out.

"That's right. We sent Grodd away. We can do the same to these bombs, all of them."

"Do you have a drone in your workshop," Harry asked.

"Yeah," Cisco answered as though it was obvious.

"Does it fly?" Harry threw back quickly.

"Yeah."

"Good. I'm taking it. You're not getting it back," Harry said, rushing out of the room.

"I'll warm up the van," Cisco laughed, grabbing the keys, his sneakers squeaking against the tiled floor as he bolted down to the garage. He wasn't going to let his friends down.

Harry had jumped in the van a minute later with all the equipment he needed, Caitlin and Jay following in the back. Cisco sped off faster than he ever had before and he found himself enjoying it, but shook his head, reminding himself of the dire situation they were stuck in.

"I'm cross-referencing credit card statements with toll road usage and families with children under ten."

"Hold up…"

"Make a U-turn. Two streets back," Harry ordered.

Cisco complied, stepping on the breaks, and spinning the wheel, sending the van in a 180 turn and back on track as they made it back to the house that Harry said there should be a bomb in. Harry leapt out of the van and ran to the front door of the house, banging his fist against it, a tablet in hand. A little boy around nine years old answered the door with a look of confusion.

"Your toys. Give them to me."

"Mom!" The kid called, slamming the door and running back inside, leaving Harry to groan.

* * *

"Flash, you all right? You don't look so good." Mardon was enjoying every second of this. He threw a block of ice directly at Barry's back, feeling satisfied as the scarlet speedster found himself sprawled on the ground, a trail of blood leaving his lips.

"I know… I'll give you a jolt." The wand was pointed at Barry and Sophia took a peer over at the two as she ducked a hit from Jesse. The guy was old and frankly she couldn't just stand there and get hit. She tried her best to act like it, and it hurt like hell, but she was doing better than Barry.

Seeing that bolt of electricity ready to hit Barry sent her mind into a frenzy. She forgot about Jesse, and flew out in front of Barry, standing over him in a protective stance, the lightning hitting her chest.

She let out a heart wrenching scream in pain, collapsing to the ground, her head lolling on the floor.

"Sapphire!" Barry yelled out in agony, not only from the sight of her unconscious, but because Jesse had walked up to him, and smashed him in the abdomen with the metal bat, catching him off guard.

"Oh, isn't she a brave little birdy. Too bad she won't make it through the night. It's no fun if she's unconscious, so I guess we'll have to deal with you for now speedy, I'll save her for dessert."

* * *

"Harry, what is the plan?" Caitlin asked, biting the inside of her cheek nervously. She was watching both Barry and Sophia's vitals from her tablet, and judging by the data, both had received extensive injuries, but what was even worse was that Sophia was now unconscious. Sophia had tachycardia, her heart beating a mile away. She was also hypotensive with dangerously low blood pressure, and the oxygenation in her blood low, meaning that she was bleeding either internally or externally which wasn't a good sign. Caitlin was at least at ease that Barry wasn't in the same boat. It would be that much harder if both of them were benched.

"One of the 52 breaches opened by the singularity is a quarter mile directly above the city. We are gonna use your drone to put this bomb into that breach."

"Okay, how does that work? One down, 99 to blow," Cisco stated.

"Basic physics, Ramon. Magnetism."

"Magnetism. Magnets of opposite poles attract one another."

"Help me out, Garrick," Harry sighed exasperatedly.

"If we can change the dimensional frequency of this bomb and get it through that breach…"

"It'll drag all the rest of the bombs right along with it."

"I'll drive. Okay, hold on."

* * *

Barry was angry, he was exhausted and he was in pain. But he would fight it, for the people he was trying to protect, for Sophia who lay a few feet away after trying to protect him.

He took another hit, this time to the back of his knees, leaving him in more pain than before. He heard a crack and hoped that it hadn't broken. Suddenly he was broken out of his thoughts when he heard Mardon and Jesse fretting over something.

Barry then turned his head to dark night sky to see that there was something exploding above into what looked like a breach. It was too far away to tell for sure.

"Was that you?" Jesse asked Mardon in panic.

"No! Gut him!"

"All right, I'm gutting already."

Barry lay there, praying for something, anything to help him in that moment when he heard Cisco's voice.

"Barry, the bombs are gone!"

Barry didn't waste a moment, and he could feel the electricity coursing through his eyes as he gave it his all. He whirled both arms around, creating a tornado of sorts that sucked Mardon in, tossing him with all his might into the ground, distracting him long enough for Barry to get his hands on the wand, before taking Mardon down for real, leaving Jesse who wasn't that difficult to deal with.

Barry hadn't stuck around to see Mardon and Jesse arrested, he had rushed over to pick up Sophia who was bleeding from what seemed to be a knife wound in her side, rushing her back to Star Labs where Caitlin was awaiting their arrival.

* * *

Sophia awoke with a groan, feeling slightly numb in her side. The last thing she remembered was a flash of light, and incredible pain.

"What happened?" She whispered, scrunching her eyes in discomfort as she opened them, attacked by the bright lights in Star Labs. Caitlin had tended to the wound on her side, giving her a few stiches and bandaging it up, but Sophia's abdomen was bruised thoroughly from the lightning attack. But Caitlin had been fast in reassuring Barry that it would only be a day or two til it was completely healed.

Barry whooshed over to her side, and dimmed the light making it easier for her to open her eyes.

"You were reckless and I can't believe you threw yourself in front of me, you could have gotten injured badly, or worse, died." Well that's what he tried to say, but with his super speed, the words just flew out of his mouth and were lost to Sophia. She wanted to laugh, but upon remembering the injury she had on her side, she contained it.

"I don't know what you were trying to say, but I love you too," Sophia smiled up at Barry. She noted the second those words fell from her lips that he stopped in his step and rested hand upon her cheek. His thumb rubbed across the smooth skin of her cheek, and he could see a light pink blush erupt on her cheeks as he gazed down on her with admiration.

"I could have lost you." His voice was soft and vulnerable and it tugged at her heart strings.

"I could have lost you too. We're even."

"What am I going to do with you Sophia Lang?" Barry asked with a heavy sigh.

"Who knows? But I can think of something you can do for me now." A cheeky smile was planted on her lips, her brown eyes warm and inviting.

Barry caught on, leaning down and capturing her lips in a sweet kiss. "I love you."

She blinked as he pulled away and brought her hand up to his cheek. "Seeing you get hurt by Mardon was terrifying, and I'm so glad that bastard's locked away. The thought of living without you… I don't want to have to face that ever."

"You won't. I'm not going anywhere." He kissed her once more, reluctantly pulling away as his phone buzzed in his pocket.

"Well maybe. Joe's calling. Time for the annual West Christmas party. You up for it?"

"I'm always up for Grandma Esther's eggnog recipe," Sophia laughed. "Just be a doll and fetch me something to wear."

Barry was back in a flash with a warm berry coloured dress in hand, and a pair of flat shoes, helping Sophia change into it before they headed over to the West's.

They laughed over jokes, lovers kissed under the mistletoe and eggnog was handed out. It was turning into a nice night. Barry had been given a beautiful gift by Joe, and he had gotten a lot off his chest with Harry as Sophia got changed that night. He had let out his feelings about the Reverse-Flash, about Wells as though Harry was the same person, and it was cathartic for him. He felt better that he forgave him that he was able to move on.

But drama was a continuous theme in their lives, and so when Joe went to answer the door, not expecting anyone, he was surprised to see someone who resembled him so much stand in front of him.

"Hi, I'm Wally. I'm Francine's son."

"I'm…I'm… Joe," He managed to choke out, his eyes wet as he took in the man before him. "This is Iris."

"Hi," Iris greeted with a warm smile as she took a step forward. She had imagined what it would be like to finally meet her brother and she couldn't believe it was finally happening.

"Hi. Uh, I just wanted to… I don't know," He shoved his hands into his pockets. "I guess now's a bad time. You've got company, so…"

"No. No, no, no. Come in." Joe insisted.

Wally walked inside, and was surprised to see a familiar face. He was about to go say hi to Sophia, feeling less anxious now that he wasn't in uncharted territory, but he stopped when he saw her lean up to kiss some guy under the mistletoe, telling himself that of course she was taken, but that didn't mean that they couldn't be friends. He was just very thankful for all she had done so far for his mom.

So with a slight shake of his head, he let Joe introduce him to everyone, taking his time to come to terms with his new life, and the new people that had been thrown into the mix, praying that whatever came his way next, that he would be alright. He had to be.

* * *

 **Decided to end the chapter here, sorry if it was a bit abrupt, its' just gotten way too long and I'm not sure what else to write here.**

 **I am terribly sorry for the last chapter. Evidently by the lack of reviews, it wasn't up to par and many of you were disappointed that there wasn't a crossover chapter. I just couldn't write it and I'm sorry. But please leave your thoughts on this chapter, and thank you so much to all those who reviewed last chapter.**

 **But I hope you enjoyed this extra-long chapter full of fluff and love, just in time for the Christmas cheer. I haven't finished writing the next chapter, so it'll probably be ready in 2-3 weeks. I'll try my best to get it to you guys around Christmas/New Years, but if not, I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday.**

 **Much Love,**

 **Heroherondale. X**


	13. Potential Energy

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Though weeks had passed since their dance with death, the New Year had brought on more stress and worry onto Sophia's shoulders.

Sophia was struggling to juggle her new and heavy work schedule at the hospital with her superhero duties, social life and sleep. In between visiting her sick father on the weekends, being rostered on the grave yard shift as they liked to call it, and helping the team to track down Zoom and figure out a way to solve their puzzle she was beginning to feel like she was drowning, the weight of the world resting on her small shoulders.

Sophia knew she wasn't coping.

Barry could see that she wasn't coping, and he had stressed to her that she should cut down on shifts at the hospital, or even her superhero work. He was fast enough to cover for her on the days that patrol was needed, feeling guilty that she was spreading herself so thin. She would return back on Sunday night, tired as hell before collapsing on their bed, gathering up as much sleep as she could before her next shift would start only a few hours later.

Barry found that he was seeing less of her as time went on, and he knew that the stress was wearing her thin. So being the dedicated and loving boyfriend he was, he decided to pay Brian a visit. Brian had sway with what went around on their ward considering his high position in leadership and Barry hoped that he would be able to get Sophia off the night shift rotation for the next month or two, at least until her father was better and she was able to get back on track.

He had set out to the hospital as soon as he could, catching Brian in a hallway and talking very diplomatically with him about Sophia's shifts. Barry thought that he would have to beg and plead but it seemed as though Brian and Sophia's work relationship had improved since her _sacrifice_ during the siege that Blackout had held a few months back. He had said yes immediately to Barry's request and informed him that he would speak to Sophia later that afternoon, swapping her shifts around with a few of the other nurses. Barry had thanked Brian with a coffee and told him how much he appreciated it, explaining the situation with Arthur's recent heart attack and the toll the stress was taking on her.

So when Sophia had come home the next day, a bright grin planted on her tired face, Barry was so happy he had gone to speak to Brian.

"Guess who isn't on night duty anymore?" Sophia posed gleefully as she collapsed on the couch, startling a sleeping chewie who soon went back to sleep, curling up next to her owner.

"Who might that be?" Barry asked from the kitchen as he whipped up something for dinner. He had asked Joe to teach him how to cook a few dishes and he had actually (after a lot of practice) gotten down how to make lasagne and it was quite good if he did say so himself.

"Me! Can you believe it? Brian just came up to me during my break and told me that because I had been working so hard lately that I could swap back to mornings," Sophia explained to Barry as she walked into her bedroom, throwing her dark scrubs into the washing basket and swapping them for a pair of shorts and hoodie.

"That's great news," Barry smiled, turning the timer off the oven and using his speed to set the table for two, even managing to light a few candles, a single tulip sitting in a thin glass vase in the middle of the table.

Sophia smiled sweetly over at Barry as she treaded back into the living room, her feet squishing into the soft beige carpet only to see the new display, dinner ready and served on their plates, two glasses of red wine by their side.

"I do love having my own personal chef," Sophia sighed with glee, leaning over and kissing Barry before taking her seat across from him.

"I've been practicing." Barry was extremely proud of how far he had come. Before this, he could barely make pasta without burning something.

"Mmm, oh god, this is so good," Sophia moaned in delight as she took a large bite of the dish, tasting the delectable mix of fine cheese, white sauce, pasta and meat perfectly blend in together.

"I'm glad you like it so much. I even have something planned out for dessert," Barry said, surprising Sophia.

"This day just keeps getting better and better."

But it seemed as though those words would come to haunt her later that night. Well, at least it would haunt her sleep. She thought after such a great dinner, and a relaxing bath shared with Barry that she would be able to settle down into bed, snuggle up to her boyfriend and leave all her worries at the door, getting a good night sleep, but the universe had decided otherwise. She had been plagued all night with terrible insomnia and hadn't been able to get a wink. It's like her brain couldn't shut off, and when she had finally begun to fall asleep, she felt Barry jerk in her arms. She practically leapt up to check on him as she turned around in bed only to see him panting as he abruptly woke up, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

He didn't even have to tell her what had happened. Just by looking into his eyes she could tell what had happened. He had another nightmare. Dark visions and images of Zoom murdering those he loved. She had a feeling that he was experiencing nightmares with Zoom as the guest star. She had thought he was improving, having not had one in a week, but evidently not. Every time she tried to approach the subject he retreated back into himself, avoiding her worrying gaze, choosing not to confide in her and that hurt her. She just wanted to be there for him, to reassure him that he was fine, that he was safe, but with him holding his tongue she wouldn't be able to help in the way she wanted to.

* * *

Joe hadn't felt this nervous in a long time. He could practically feel himself sweating. He hadn't thought through exactly why he was bringing Wally over to the precinct. He knew that he wanted to show Wally where he worked, but considering that would take a total of five minutes, he wasn't sure what to do next and he found himself rambling.

"Okay, so there's my desk," Joe pointed as they walked further into the offices. "Upstairs is anti-crime and the CSI lab… that's where Barry works. And we have the open files…"

"And that is a pencil. That, stapler," Wally joked sarcastically as he looked around, his eyes grazing over the multitude of offices and desks scattered around the precinct. It was organised chaos he mused to himself as Joe gave him a tour of the CCPD. It was definitely interesting, but Wally felt out of place, and awkward to say the least as he toured the place with his father, another fact that he was slowly coming to terms with. He had gone all his life without him, and now that he was suddenly thrown into the mix, things were beginning to feel… weird.

"Okay. Sorry, Wally. Obviously, your sister got the funny genes." Joe laughed as Captain Singh headed over to them. He visibly sighed in relief as he found their next distraction from the awkwardness they were experiencing.

"Captain. I want you to meet somebody. This is my son Wally West," Joe introduced Wally to the Captain.

"Handsome young man, Joe."

"Hey, he's a West. He can't help that." Joe laughed.

"Your pops here is a hell of a detective."

"Obviously not," Wally muttered under his breath, but it was evident that the two older men standing before him had heard since their expressions turned sour.

"Well, pleasure to meet you, Wally," Captain Singh bid his goodbye before escaping the awkward encounter, leaving enough time for Iris to join the situation.

Iris threw Wally a warm smile and walked up to both him and her father. Since their little Christmas gathering, Iris was trying to do her best to interact with Wally more. It was hard to get a hold of him most days because he was out working or visiting their mother at the hospital, but she wanted to get to know him. All her life she had wanted another sibling, and to finally met her long lost brother was an incredible thing. But even she knew that it would take a while before they could function like any normal family. They were acquaintances at best at this point in time, but she wanted to change that.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're here, Wally," Joe said.

"Yeah, I've always wanted a baby brother," Iris threw in with a grin.

"What about the White Shadow?" Wally questioned, arms crossed.

"You're joking, but yeah, we did call Barry that."

"Well he's been pretty busy. He's doing a whole lot of running around. But why don't we do dinner? The whole family?"

"I, uh, I got plans," Wally said, avoiding eye contact with Joe.

"Oh, Iris will cook."

"Dad, we just met the kid. We don't want to kill him," Iris laughed.

"All right, we do takeout. Chinese," Joe suggested. He wanted to have a better opportunity to get to know Wally, and to integrate him into their family. Christmas had been a tough time, and it was hard for him to feel comfortable, and he didn't want Wally to feel excluded from their family.

"Whatever. Come on."

"Where are your cuffs, taillights?" A man asked as he was brought in by two police officers, his arms cuffed behind him. Wally stiffened at the sight having recognised him from his nightly activities and did everything he could to avoid his gaze.

"Come on, let's go."

"You know that kid?" Joe asked, a frown settling on his forehead.

"Uh, no… no. You know, it's just what they say. I got one of those faces. I'll see you guys at dinner."

"Uh, okay." Wally's sudden change in attitude towards dinner that night threw Joe off his train of thought.

* * *

Barry was lounging in Star Labs after having eaten one of the greatest breakfasts to ever be consumed in all 25 years of his life. Sophia had woken up early that morning to make a mountain of perfectly cooked eggs, smoked meats, pan fried tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach and potatoes and freshly squeezed orange juice. She felt bad about his nightmares and wanted to at least give him a good start to the day. He had devoured the breakfast with her, and had then devoured her, making them both late to their meeting at Star Labs. But as he sat there, lounging around with Sophia standing across the room and conversing with Cisco, sending her smirks from across the room and receiving flushed cheeks in response, he knew that it was totally worth it.

"Hey… no! Absolutely not!" Cisco yelled, breaking Barry out of his daydreams.

Harry it seemed had decided to take his anger out on Cisco's station once again, knocking over a multitude of stationary and just random electronic crap that Cisco kept laying around.

"You don't get to throw somebody else's stuff when you're pissed off."

"Thank you."

"What is this?"

"Wrong answers."

"Maybe you're asking the wrong questions."

"What does that mean?"

"I've been thinking about this a lot recently. We keep trying to come up with ways to make Barry faster, but I still think we can figure out a way to make Zoom slower," Harry said.

"We tried that already, remember? Those darts didn't slow him down at all. We were lucky that he fled," Sophia reminded Harry.

"Yeah, I know… I'm not talking about the darts, okay? The darts clearly didn't work. They just pissed him off. I'm talking about something else… a way we can steal Zoom's speed."

The conversation in the room suddenly stopped and all eyes were on Harry. If they managed to find a way to steal Zoom's speed then all of their problems would be solved.

"How?" Barry asked, sitting up straight.

"The Turtle."

"As some of you may well know, I've been deeply embroiled in a secret, one-sided battle with an invisible enemy," Cisco declared.

"No, not the Turtle again."

"What? What's the Turtle?" Sophia asked with a raised brow.

"Or who is the Turtle?"

"It's Cisco's white whale. Half whale, half turtle," Caitlin said simply as though it were obvious, but she received blank looks in response from Harry, Barry and Sophia.

"No. Do you see what you're doing, Caitlin? Everybody's confused now," Cisco huffed.

"Get to it," Harry complained.

"I stumbled upon a few of these cases when we were looking for the Reverse-Flash, robberies that were seemingly committed at high speed, people holding their beloved items one second. Those items were gone the next."

Cisco opened up a folder on his computer labelled _The Turtle_ and then clicked on a video that contained CCTV footage of one of the robberies he had just spoke of.

"Tell me what you see."

Sophia watched it carefully, her eyes following the moving man who had just stolen the goods. What caught them all off guard was that everyone else in the room had frozen.

"So he can… what? Stop time?" Sophia asked. It reminded her of one of her favourite characters from Heroes, Hiro. He was a time traveller and from what she could see with her own eyes, The Turtle seemed to have a similar ability. Well, that's at least what she had thought before Cisco had corrected her.

"No, no, no. Look at the time code," Cisco pointed out with glee. "It's still running."

"Yeah, okay. So if he's not stopping time, what is he doing?" Barry asked.

"He's slowing down everything around him. And that is why we call him the Turtle."

"Why have you never mentioned this guy to me before?" Barry frowned.

"Oh, I don't know, I think we've just been a little distracted, you know, what with Captain Cold and the Weather Wizard and Gorilla Grodd. Do I need to go on?" Cisco asked sarcastically.

"Okay. So if we can catch him and figure out he uses his powers, maybe we can show Zoom what life is like in the slow lane?"

"How would you even know where to find him?"

"Well, the robberies in the videos all correspond with police reports that were dismissed as lost or missing items instead of thefts. The suspects M.O. being… items of immense personal value."

Just as these words had fallen Cisco's lips, a breaking news exert had played on CCPN, reporting live from the CCPD where a press conference was behind held because some special Vandervoort diamonds worth millions had been recovered, and the perpetrators in jail. Cisco turned up the volume and they all listened in carefully.

Barry took this opportunity to suit up and run over there, Sophia watching from the sidelines with the others in the cortex. They knew that the Turtle would show up, what they didn't know was that even Barry wasn't fast enough to catch him. He was almost frozen in time as he watched the Turtle get away, returning back to the cortex with a look of defeat and confusion painted across his face.

"What happened?" Sophia asked as Barry walked back in the cortex looking dazed.

"The Turtle happened," Barry grumbled, gently rubbing the side of his head.

"What was it like being in Turtle Time?"

"Yeah, no, it was weird," Barry tried to explain. "It was like waves of inertness… like all the energy was suddenly sucked out of my body, and then it would return."

"That's because that's exactly what was happening."

"He has the ability to transfer all the surrounding kinetic energy into himself. Leaving everyone else in a temporary state of potential energy."

"That's right."

"So why could I still move?" Barry asked.

"Your speed. Your speed allows you to change positions faster than anyone else. So you can convert your stored potential energy back to kinetic energy."

"Excuse me, where are you going?" Cisco asked as Harry jumped out of his seat.

"Trying to figure out how to use this against Zoom. Cisco, please join me. We'll use your idea and take it to new scientific heights and save the world."

"Yes, I'd love to."

"Okay."

A beep emitted from the screen in front of Sophia and she clicked on the screen, bringing up their facial recognition software, opening the notification.

"Facial recognition software found us a match from the press-conference footage. The Turtle's name is Russel Glosson," Sophia informed the team. "He was a small-time thief who stopped thieving after the particle accelerator explosion. Looks to me like he just wasn't getting caught," Sophia mused.

"All right, I'm gonna head to work… catch Joe up," Barry told her, leaning down and pressing a chaste kiss to her lips.

"Let us know if you need anything else. I'll be here practically all day."

"Sure thing, honey." And with that Barry sped out of the room leaving Caitlin, Jay and herself to figure out their next move against the Turtle.

"Hey, Caitlin, seeing as though my energy is kinetic and I don't have Barry's speed, wouldn't that mean that I'd be frozen if I went up against the Turtle?" Sophia asked. She didn't want to run in blind and be unable to help Barry.

"Technically, yes. But until you encounter the Turtle we won't be able to determine exactly how much his powers affect you. But to be on the safe side we should assume that it does in some way, shape or form have an impact on your ability to move fast, if anything, move at all," Caitlin explained.

"Guess this is a case for The Flash," Sophia mumbled, not happy with the fact that she would be at a disadvantage against this Meta.

* * *

The CCPD was buzzing with chatter, the scuffing of shoes rushing along the tiled floors as detectives, secretaries and workers alike were running around to get their work done. An APB had just been placed out for Russel Glosson, a previous criminal that most had come across in their past work.

"The Turtle. Cisco's been looking for this guy forever," Joe muttered as he looked at the file that Barry had brought him. "Singh just put an APB out on him."

"Um, how did practically everyone know about Glosson before I did?" Barry asked incredulously.

"Mm-mm. Cisco's got a whole list of unidentified Meta's. The boys around here are calling him Cisco de la Mancha," Joe laughed, getting Barry to crack a smile.

Barry noticed that there was something off about Joe, and the way he had left Star Labs this morning in a rush.

"Are you good? You seem a little jittery."

"A little anxious. Let's be honest. I'm really nervous about this whole dinner tonight with Wally," Joe admitted. He hadn't been this nervous around Christmas when Wally had come to visit, but now he was feeling the heat.

"Come on, why… why are you nervous? You're like the best dad ever. He'll see that." Barry smiled.

"It'll be a whole lot easier, you being there."

"Joe, I wouldn't miss it. See you tonight," Barry told him, giving him a brief hug before escaping the room. He had a lot of work he needed to get done both here and at Star Labs.

* * *

Sophia stood on the rooftop of Star Labs, enjoying the cool breeze that blew through her hair. She had just hung up on the phone with her father, relieved to hear that he was sticking to his treatment routine, and was feeling much better than he had been a few weeks ago.

She felt bad, having been so busy in the last week or two that she hadn't been able to speak to him much. She was grateful that she had some more free time on her hands lately. In between working at the hospital and Star Labs she found that she barely had any time for herself and her social life. Her thoughts then flittered over to Barry and the nightmare that he had last night. She wasn't sure why he was being so closed off about it. He acted like nothing had happened when they woke up that morning, but she knew that it was affecting him.

Speaking of Barry. She felt his arms wrap around her waist.

"Hey," Barry greeted, placing a kiss atop of Sophia's head.

"Hey, how was work?"

"It was alright. You still on for tonight at Joe's place? He's bringing Wally over for dinner."

"Yeah. Should I bright anything with? I can make a dish." Christmas was an awkward affair in terms of herself and Wally. It wasn't like she didn't like the guy, but she felt weird vibes coming off him towards her, and she attributed it to the fact that she was one of the nurses taking care of his dying mother. She had seen him in her room whenever visiting hours were open, and a few of those times she had caught him crying silently as he sat by his mother's bedside. She wondered if that weird vibe she had gotten off him was embarrassment or perhaps it was just because the whole situation was weird. But regardless of this, she would do her best to try and welcome him into their family.

"No, it's alright. Joe's ordering take out," Barry said.

It was silent for a moment more as they stood there, holding each other until Sophia spoke her mind.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked in a soft tone.

"Talk about what?" Barry seemed confused at her question.

"The dreams, the nightmares… whatever it is that keeps torturing you in your sleep." She turned around in his embrace so that she could now see his face. Her eyes watched him carefully, drifting from his clenched jaw to the hardness that had set in his eyes.

"It's nothing, I'm fine," Barry insisted, avoiding her gaze.

"Really? So waking up at odd hours of the morning, sweating and screaming in your sleep is nothing," She said in a blasé tone, crossing her arms.

"I told you, it's nothing, can we just forget about it."

"I can't forget about it. It's not healthy, you need to talk about it. You haven't slept properly in weeks, and I'm just worried about you, Barry." She knew how badly nightmares like this could affect people, from both personal experience, and her medical practice. She was concerned that he was suffering from PTSD from what had gone down with Zoom and because he wouldn't open up to her, it was hard to determine if it was just that, or simply fear.

"I already told you I don't want to talk about it, why do you keep bringing it up?" Barry was getting frustrated at this point. Every time his mind flashed back to those nightmares, the mere thought of it sent him into a haze of anxiety, feeling it creeping up his throat, like it was choking him. He didn't want to think about it, let alone talk about it. All he wanted to do was forget.

"Because I care about you, isn't that enough?"

"I'm sorry," Barry sighed, his hard expression softening under her soft gaze. "I'm just stressed is all, from work and these Meta's, it's just… stressful," He finished lamely, hoping that she would accept his apology.

Sophia didn't reply, giving him a small smile before looking down at her watch. It was a quarter to eight, and they were going to be late to Joe's if they didn't make a move. She had brought her car to Star Labs that day, and so she would be taking to the road instead of the skies.

"We better get moving."

And so they did, in silence they sat in her car, all the way til they got to Joe's place, both of their minds racing with thoughts about their argument and their lives at this very moment. They weren't fighting, but Sophia still felt upset that Barry couldn't open up to her and be honest with her about his nightmares, and he was feeling guilty for the same reason.

They greeted Joe and Iris with warm hugs, all of them taking a seat. Soon the food arrived and they were still waiting for Wally. First ten minutes had passed, then another twenty, and before they knew it nearly two hours had gone by. There had been no response from Wally to any texts or calls, and they all knew that they had been snubbed. It hit Joe the worst. The reason he had planned this evening was so that Wally would be able to socialise and get to know some of the most important people apart of his life, practically the rest of the family, only to have it thrown back in his face.

"Okay, I think we can call it," Joe said, standing up from his seat and moving to the fridge to grab a couple of beers. He thought it was well deserved after having sat there waiting for Wally to show up. "Wally is not coming."

"I'm sorry, Joe. I know how much this meant to you," Barry told him.

"He's a kid right? I get it."

"He could have at least called," Sophia said with a sigh.

"Well, there could be a number of reasons why he didn't," Iris said with pursed lips. "But thank you guys for coming."

"Love you, see you in the morning," Joe said to them all, giving them a wave as he left for the night, taking his drink with him upstairs as he got ready to get some sleep.

"Love you too," Iris said.

Sophia rubbed her eyes tiredly with the back of her palm, letting out a silent yawn. Though she hadn't gone to work that day she was feeling more tired than ever, finding that she had to put energy into keeping her eyes from drooping closed. But it seemed this was a lost cause and her eyes were fluttering shut.

Barry noticed this and picked Sophia up, dropping her off on the couch to let her rest.

"Well, West family 2.0 is not really off to a great start," Iris said quietly as she and Barry sat at the table by themselves now.

"Hmm." Barry hummed.

"You've been quiet all evening," Iris commented, her eyes darting to Barry and Sophia. Neither of them had said much, which was different to their usual bubbly personalities. She wondered if they had a fight, or if it was just work stress getting to them. "The Turtle?"

"How do you know about him?" Iris laughed at this question and then waved it off.

"No, um… just had a lot on my mind."

"Did you have a fight with Sophia?"

"No, I mean, yes, we had a slight argument," Barry sighed.

"Is this about your nightmares?" Iris asked.

"How did you…"

"I went out shopping with her the other day. She was looking to buy some herbal remedies that are meant to help you sleep, and I sort of got it out of her. Don't blame her, I'm just a bit inquisitive with the whole reporter thing," Iris told Barry who looked deflated.

"She's worried about you, she loves you and she wants to do whatever she can to help, so why are you fighting with her?"

Barry clenched his jaw, closing his eyes for a second and releasing all his anger and stress.

"I just can't seem to shake it. These nightmares aren't just happening when I sleep and I don't want to burden her with that. Every time I close my eyes I see Zoom standing over me with her blood on his hands and I can't do anything to save her," Barry said. "I can't lose her."

"If you don't confide in her, then you're gonna lose her yourself, not because of Zoom," Iris advised.

* * *

Sophia blinked her eyes awake the following morning to find that she was on her side in bed with Barry's arms wrapped around her waist and holding her against his chest.

She didn't even remember coming home last night, let alone climbing into bed. She figured that she must have passed out at the West's place and that Barry had tucked her into bed. A soft smile graced her lips at the thought, but there was a sliver of panic in her chest as she thought back to their argument the previous night.

They hadn't resolved it per say, but she knew that things wouldn't go back to normal until Barry opened up to her about his nightmares. All she wanted to do was help but it was becoming frustrating with him being in denial about it.

Sophia was brought out of her thoughts when she felt Barry rubbing circles on her hip.

"Good Morning," Sophia whispered, shuffling over in the bed to face him.

"Morning." Barry smiled down at her as she gazed up at him. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, did you?" She asked hesitantly. She didn't want to fight with him first thing in the morning, but she couldn't just leave it alone either.

"Surprisingly I slept better than I have in a while. No nightmares."

"Really?"

"Really."

Sophia let out a sigh of relief. She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his bare chest, leaning her head against it. Hearing the steady thump of his heart was soothing, and she focused on that as he spoke to her.

"I'm sorry for getting so agitated over all of this. I'm sorry for fighting with you when I know you mean well. It's just a bit scary, the whole thing," Barry said and she nodded against his chest.

"I forgive you."

Her eyes found his, and words needn't be exchanged to express their love towards each other. Barry leaned down and caught her lips in a tender kiss.

* * *

After taking their time eating breakfast and getting changed, the two heroes found themselves stopping by Star Labs once more.

"You guys got anything?" Barry asked as he walked back into the Cortex with a couple of drinks in hand, passing out everyone's individual orders to them.

"I think we found the next target for our 30-something, meta-human, not-a-Ninja-Turtle," Cisco said.

"How long did it take you to come up with that one?"

"It just came out of my mouth… did you see that? That was amazing."

"That was nice."

"Central City Museum is hosting a special black tie even tonight showcasing 'The Crystal Ball.' It's a famous painting, apparently, recently recovered from Markovia. The painting is on loan to the museum from the Silverberg family."

"Jacob Silverberg himself said 'The painting's safe return means more to us than all the money in the world.' It's like they're begging Turtle to rob it."

"Okay, yes. This is a plan."

"So the Turtle will make his move, and we can be there waiting to take him down."

"How do you look in a tux?"

"Come on, he's 6"2, he's square-jawed and he's jacked."

"I think he looks fine."

"I'm 6"4," Jay corrected and Caitlin nearly choked on her drink.

"You got a tux laying around, Allen?" Sophia asked, leaning on the desk with her elbows to get closer to him.

"I think I can whip up something together. You got a dress?"

"I can think of the perfect one," She said, giving him a wink.

"Guess we're going undercover. James Bond style." Cisco let out a whoop and then Sophia joyfully reminded him that he would be stuck doing recon in the Star Labs van outside of the event.

It was decided that Barry, Sophia, Caitlin and Jay would be going inside to the event. Cisco managed to whip up some last minute invites for them and then sent them all on their merry way to get ready seeing as though the event was in a few hours.

Barry disappeared back to the CCPD to inform Joe of their plan, and Sophia had gone into work that morning for a few meetings, leaving Caitlin and Jay to do some shopping. Caitlin dragged Jay around to a few stores before settling on a black suit and tie, charging it to the Star Labs account. It was a hefty price, but they needed to fit in at the art event that evening.

* * *

"Cisco, are you and Harry in position?" Barry asked as he stood outside the event, Sophia's arm in his own. They had shown up a bit earlier to the event to scope out the building, all entrances and exists and the most plausible area of attack for the Turtle.

Sophia looked dazzling in a daring gold dress that made her eyes sparkle in the light. He had kissed her a little bit too much back at their place before they left, leaving her with the need to reapply her rouge red lipstick, and wipe it off his lips. She laughed, noting to Barry that if he hadn't been the Flash that they would be late for the event. But alas, they had made it on time, and were currently going through a few last details with Cisco.

Sophia knew that she wouldn't be much help, seeing as though the Turtle would affect her greater than Barry, meaning she could only be his eyes and ears up until the Turtle used his powers. After that, it would be up to Barry to catch the infamous thief.

"I'm the security feed. I've got facial recognition software running, so we'll be able to spot Turtle before he makes his move," Cisco informed Barry through the mic as he zoomed in on the camera feed coming from both the front and back entrances of the building.

"Turtle," Harry grunted through the line. "Why do you insist on giving them ridiculous nicknames?"

"Me?" Cisco scoffed, crossing his arms. "Who's the genius who came up with _Zoom_?"

"Yeah, well… I'll tell you." Cisco was surprised at this and turned to Harry to listen in. He also knew that the others could hear on the line. "About two years ago, this is on Earth-2, now. The CCPD there, they got a 911 call about a hostage situation, but when the SWAT team got there, there were no hostages. It was a trap. Zoom set a trap in order to show the police that they could not stop him. And he killed 14 officers. Men and Women. Slaughtered them. Let one alive to tell what happened. That officer described blue lightning "zooming" all about as his comrades, brothers and sisters in arms, were murdered. That officer, considered himself to be a lucky one, spared in order to tell the tale. Until Zoom went to his house that night and killed him too." Cisco held his breath throughout the entire story, anxiety filling his chest at the retelling of this horrendous story.

"Anyway, that's how he got the nickname Zoom," Harry finished.

Sophia tightened her grip on Barry's arm as they shared a look of uncertainty at Harry's story.

"If you ever need me to Vibe… so you can know if she's still alive…" Cisco offered to Harry.

"She's alive."

"Right."

The comm. went silent at the perfect time. Sophia and Barry had made it to the front of the long line, handing their invitations in and moving into the grand building. Soft classical music graced their ears as it flowed throughout the ballroom. Champagne was handed out in flutes, bubbling and sparkling at the top of their glasses. Barry and Sophia took their time to enjoy the drinks, smiling over at Caitlin and Jay who were chatting a few feet away.

Barry downed the rest of his drink, and passed it to a waiter standing nearby, along with Sophia's empty flute. He then turned to his girlfriend and offered his hand out to her.

"May I have this dance?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

With her hand in his, the other resting on his shoulder, they were off. Their feet moved elegantly across the floor amongst the other couples indulging in the slow dance that evening. The soft music paired with the smell of vanilla in the air, set the atmosphere. It was warm and dull and Sophia wished that they were here on personal business rather than superhero business. It would have been nice to spend this quality time with her boyfriend without having to worry about a Meta human on the loose, but she figured she would take what she could get.

Sophia kept her sight focused on those around her, her golden brown eyes looking around for the face of the Turtle but so far she couldn't spot anyone bearing a resemblance to their thief. She was so engrossed in keeping an eye out that she didn't realise that Barry's eyes were on her the entire time.

Barry was admiring the sight before him. He knew that Cisco and Wells would be closely keeping an eye out to see if the Turtle showed up. For once, he was taking a second to admire the beauty before him. Sometime he took his girlfriend for granted. She was intelligent, strong, beautiful, caring and so much more and he felt guilty for not giving her enough love, or attention in the past few months, what with their Zoom dilemma. It made him feel especially guilty about their fight the previous day about his nightmares, even though she had forgiven him for it already.

"I love you." The words fell of his lips naturally, as though they were crafted to speak those words. Sophia blinked herself out of her daze and focused back on Barry, tilting her head slightly up to see his face clearly.

A smile crept up onto her lips, and her cheeks flushed in the lightest.

"I love you too, Barry," Sophia whispered, hoping that her soft words would be a secret between the two, and not on display for everyone there that night. Her thoughts went back to when she first laid eyes on Barry that night, dressed up in his black suit, looking fresh and put together. She wasn't sure that it was her boyfriend. He was more of the dorky, nerdy type who had a thing for plaid shirts, and red leather. This wasn't the first time she had seen Barry dressed in a suit, but it was certainly something new and she appreciated it more than she let on.

Sophia was about to lean forward and place a chaste kiss on Barry's lips when Cisco's voice blasted in their ears, shocking them apart.

"We've got eyes on the Turtle."

"CCPD! Freeze!" Joe had run into the building from his police car out front on Cisco's signal and was pointing his gun at the Turtle who was now standing at the entrance of the ballroom floor.

"Go," Sophia urged Barry. She knew that she wouldn't be fast enough so she did her best to help evacuate the scene. She signalled Caitlin and Jay who had also moved to help out when she felt time virtually stop around her.

A moment later, Joe's gun was out of his hand and thrown across the floor. He stared at the Turtle with wide eyes, and moved to grab his spare that was hidden in a holster by his ankle.

"Are you as fast as the Flash?" Joe murmured carefully.

"Oh, no. He is much slower."

"This is a trap?"

"I'm slow… not stupid," the Turtle spoke with a smirk just as Joe pulled out his other gun, not wasting a moment in firing away bullets at their enemy when suddenly time stopped once more.

She couldn't move her body much, but her eyes were certainly taking everything in. She was sure that Caitlin and Jay had no idea, their bodies looking like statues in the distance.

The turtle had walked towards Joe, pointing the bullets in the direction of the chandelier that Sophia was currently standing underneath on the ballroom floor. Her eyes went wide but no matter how much she ached to move her body, she could not. Barry who was now dressed in his red leather was moving too slow to get both the Turtle and Sophia out of danger.

Barry didn't waste a moment, stretching his limbs as fast as he could, but he felt like he was walking through quick sand. His eyes glanced up and the heavy golden chandelier seemed to be falling faster than before. Barry groaned and pushed his body to move faster, but he knew he wouldn't get there in time to pick her up and move away, so he dove, crashing into Sophia's body, leaving her sprawled on the floor with him on top. He brought his arms around her head protectively, making sure as much of his body was covering her as possible when the chandelier dropped, smashing into a thousand pieces of glass upon his form.

That was the last thing he remembered before lost consciousness.

* * *

It had all happened so fast and Sophia just remembered her screaming out Barry's name after they had dragged his leather clad body back to the van, Cisco stepping on the accelerator as they rushed him back to Star Labs.

He had multiple cuts and bruises on his hands, not to mention a fracture in one of his arms. From what she could tell initially he had a small laceration on the side of his face from the glass, but until he woke up she wouldn't know if he was concussed or suffered further head trauma and that was eating at her insides.

He had only been out for about twenty minutes before he regained consciousness upon the bed in the med-bay. Sophia had just finished cleaning the wound on the side of his head when this happened. She wanted to throw her arms around him and hug him tight, but she knew that she would have to wait until Caitlin examined him fully.

With a torch shining in both eyes, Caitlin saw that both of Barry's pupils were reactive, and a size 3 which was relatively normal.

"Your pupils are normal. Your heart rates a little low. But other than that, no concussive symptoms," Caitlin declared, leaving the whole team feeling a relieved.

"I really do feel fine," Barry insisted, his eyes darting to his worried girlfriend who was sitting next to him on the bed. "What about the Turtle?"

"No sign of him," Cisco said.

"Or the painting."

"He, uh, must have gotten away with it in the chaos."

"Yeah, things went a little sideways after we went in guns blazing."

"We need to figure out how his powers are draining you, and what we can do to stop it," Sophia said, determination set in her eyes.

"We'll get working on it," Caitlin said, grabbing Jay's hand and dragging him to her lab. The two scientists were insistent in staying back late.

"You're welcome to call it a night," Sophia directed at Harry and Cisco. "I certainly am."

"We'll see you tomorrow then," Harry said, greeting them goodnight.

Sophia turned to Barry, a tired expression written across her face. "Let's get you home," Sophia said softly, bringing her hand up to rest upon the right side of his face, her thumb gently rubbing across his cheek.

* * *

"Yo, pay up!" Wally laughed his heart out, the adrenaline from the car race still rushing through his system. There was something edgy about driving so fast, the risk, the air rushing against his face, the whole experience was cathartic. It was the only thing getting him through his mother's condition, and it was the only thing paying for her treatments, so he was trying to look at the only positive in his life at the moment.

But clearly the universe had other plans. It wasn't a moment later that Iris West, his long lost sister had showed up onto the scene, wearing a tight mini skirt, and knee length high-heeled boots. She was dressed to impress and fit in with the crowd it seemed.

"What? You got someone tailing me now?" Wally scoffed as she walked towards him. She had an unimpressed look upon her face, the judgement reading loud and clear. It made him angry, who was she to judge him? He was the only one looking after his mother after all.

"Why didn't you show up for dinner last night?" Iris asked, ignoring Wally's previous statement.

"Couldn't make it," Wally said.

"You tell someone you're gonna be somewhere, you show up," Joe berated, showing up around the corner. Turns out that both he and Iris had been watching Wally that night.

"Guess I didn't have my dad to teach me that, huh?" Wally threw back, his icy words hitting Joe in the gut making him feel guilty.

"Is this why you came to Central City? Not to get to know me or your sister, but this nonsense?" Joe asked.

"No one in Keystone will race me anymore. But I don't actually have to explain myself to you," Wally said trying to walk away, but Joe caught his arm, keeping him in place.

"Actually, you do. This is illegal. I'm a cop, remember?" Joe said. He didn't want to be tough on Wally, but with the way things were going, and his disregard for the law, he had to put his foot down. Son or not.

"Oh, yeah. Yes. The detective who didn't know he had a son and who doesn't know anything about me," Wally scoffed, retrieving into himself.

"I am trying to get to know you, Wally."

"These races… that car… that I won. That's the only way that I can pay for my mom's hospital bills, get her the help that she needs," Wally finally said. He could feel the tears pricking at the corner of his eyes but he kept them at bay, squeezing his left hand into a fist. The pain brought him a sense of stability that he needed at this moment.

"You don't have to do this," Iris pleaded. "We can help."

"Iris is right. I have money saved," Joe said.

"I don't need your money. I can take care of myself and my mom, okay? I'm the man of our house. That position has been filled. Go home, Joe."

And with that, Wally walked away from the only other two people left that he could ever consider family.

* * *

Dressed in a comfortable pair of baby blue cotton shorts, and an old black tee of Barry's, Sophia was making herself a cup of tea.

Sophia was eager to climb into bed and not get out for a good ten hours. She had accepted to work a night shift tomorrow night and she was sure that she would sleep up until the hour before she had to get ready to leave. She sighed as she finished brewing the cup of tea.

After the disaster of a night, Sophia had just wanted to cuddle in bed with her boyfriend, but things could never be that easy. There was a robbery happening down town, and his emergency app had gone off, and being the hero that he was, Barry insisted that it would only take a few minutes tops to wrap up the situation, but he had been gone for nearly half an hour. Of course something else had come up, it was Central City for crying out loud, but it had been a stressful day and so she let things play out as it were.

She was about to call it a night, having finished her tea when she heard the front door of their apartment opening, and Chewie hissing at the intruder. She turned around unsure of why her cat was screeching when she saw why.

Sophia took a step back towards the bench, her hand hitting her mug. The glass dropped to the floor, smashing into tiny pieces of glass.

Assessing the situation in less than 0.2 seconds, Sophia knew that she wouldn't be able to use her powers to defend herself against the Turtle. She would be too slow, and she would risk exposing her identity. All she could do was use her words and hope that Barry would show up.

"What do you want?" Sophia asked as she moved back further into the kitchen and away from the Turtle.

"The thing most precious to the Flash… you," He said, a dark smirk taking place on his lips.

Sophia lunged for a knife sitting in the sink to use as a weapon, but she felt herself freeze as time slowed down. The next thing she knew, a large gloved hand was clamped over her mouth and she was inhaling some sort of chemical, darkness taking her captive.

* * *

Upon arrival in their apartment, Barry began to panic. He couldn't find Sophia anywhere, and there was shattered glass all over the floor. When he took a closer look at the front door he knew that the handle at been broken.

"No, no, no, no," Barry moved further into the apartment and found a piece of cloth on the floor, he didn't even have to take a whiff of it to smell the strong scent of chloroform it had been doused with. Chewie, Sophia's cat was sitting on the couch with a sad expression, meowing and running over to Barry, nuzzling her head into the back of his legs.

His mind went to one person who could have done this.

The Turtle.

He quickly cleaned up the glass, making sure none was left on the ground so that Chewie didn't get hurt before grabbing his phone and dialling Joe's number, not caring that he was disturbing him at this time of the night.

"Come on," Barry groaned into the phone as the dial tone kept ringing.

"Joe!" Barry felt a slight pang of relief as he answered the phone. "Joe, I think the Turtle has Sophia."

"What?"

"I just came home, the place was broken into, its' the only explanation I have right now. Just meet me at Star Labs alright?" Barry said quickly before hanging up and rushing over to there.

He was going to find Sophia, and he was going to take down the Turtle once and for all.

* * *

Sophia woke up with a gasp, and a raging headache. Her head had been resting on her left shoulder and as she tried to move it back up into an upright position, she could feel the muscles in her neck screaming in protest. Her vision was slightly blurred, and she attributed it to the side effects of the drug she had inhaled right before she passed out. She blinked a few times in an attempt to clear her vision, but it didn't do much to help her current situation.

She looked around briefly to see that she was in some sort of old room filled with antiquities and old art. There was a musky scent in the air that reminded her of classical paintings, and worn books. She figured this must be where the Turtle stored all of his stolen goods. It looked like an antique store.

It was then that Sophia turned her head to her right, only to see the man himself sitting at a table and tinkering with some sort of bronze plate. From what she could see it looked like her was carving something into the metal with the blade poised in his right hand.

Sophia assessed the situation as best as she could. She knew that she didn't have her phone on her, neither her smart watch both of which she could have used to alert Star Labs of her location, so she had to assume that she was in this alone from here on out. She didn't doubt that Barry and the team would find her, she just worried that they wouldn't be able to find her in time.

The Turtle was unpredictable and fast, giving him the advantage. She just hoped that whatever happened next would be in her favour.

"What do you want from me?" Sophia broke the silence. She was surprised by the strength that carried through her voice, but she figured that after all this time, being a superhero hadn't been for nothing. It had changed her, shaped her in a way she could have never imagined, and she was proud of that fact.

She knew that whatever the Turtle threw at her, she would persevere. If she could deal with the likes of the Reverse-Flash and even manage to survive the onslaught of attacks directed by Zoom, then she could deal with a meta-human who had a penchant for stealing antiquities.

The Turtle looked up, not having realised that his guest had awoken. His eyes narrowed in on her form, annoyance rushing through him at her words. He just reminded himself that soon enough she wouldn't be talking, the thought putting him at ease.

"I want you to stop moving… forever." He tilted his head to the side, watching her expression with curiosity. He had expected her to squirm in her seat, scream, yell or even plead for help, but instead she sat there as still as a statue, her face set with determination as she stared at him head on. She was different to the others that was for sure. And instead of making her an annoyance, that somehow set her apart from the rest. It made her that much more… special.

"Don't you think that's a bit much? What did I ever do to you? What do you get out of killing me?" She asked, trying to be rational with him.

"Oh, I'm not going to kill you. That's much too fast and messy. I like to take things nice and slow." His words sent a wave of panic through her, but she didn't let it show on her face.

"You don't have to hurt me to prove a point," Sophia spoke as he took a step towards her, a gleaming knife in his grasp, the tip pointing towards her chest. He brought the knife closer towards her, the sharp tip scraping against the freckled skin just below her collarbone, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.

"This isn't about hurting you. This is about hurting someone who values you." Sophia winced as he pressed the knife down harsher into her skin.

"Who?" She questioned.

"The Flash."

"What does he have to do with this? I don't even know him."

"Oh, I think you do. I saw the way he saved you."

"Yes, that's sort of his job. He's a hero. He saves people who need saving," Sophia drawled sarcastically.

"That's a waste of time… saving people. They take everything for granted. So you take the things that matter most to them. My wife Rosalyn took me for granted. She wanted to leave me… the thing I valued most."

"So that's what this is about? You're hurt because your wife left you?"

"I couldn't let that happen. So I made her mind. Forever," The Turtle said ominously, pulling back a curtain and revealing the body of a frozen woman, sending Sophia's heart into a frenzy of panic. He then turned and picked up a plaque, showing it to Sophia.

"I do hope I spelled your name right," He said with a smirk, pointing to the plaque that had Sophia Lang written in bold letters, her date of birth and death written side by side.

It was in that moment that Sophia knew if Barry didn't come to save her, then she would end up like the frozen woman before her very eyes.

* * *

"Barry, we'll find her," Joe tried to reassure him as they waited in Star Labs for Cisco to finish running a diagnostic test in an attempt to pinpoint a location on The Turtle's hideout.

"I'm not getting any leads on this guy," Cisco said, his heart dropping in his chest. "It's like he's totally fallen off the grid. Any of the stuff he's stolen… I can't find it." Cisco brought a hand up and ran it through his hair roughly. This was getting frustrating. All he wanted to do was help find Sophia but every time he thought he had a lead, it was fruitless.

"He keeps them," Harry said. "He keeps them the way a serial killer collects trophies."

"He's stolen a lot of stuff," Caitlin pointed out.

"Which means he needs a lot of space to store it, right?" Joe was starting to see what Harry was getting to. "That's where we start. See if he rented any storage spaces."

"No, no. I'm not getting anything…" Cisco groaned as he tried to pull up some documents. "Wait a minute. His ex-wife used to be an archivist for antiquities at the Naydel Library before it shut down, and it shut down three months after the accelerator exploded," Cisco informed the team. He had been reading up on the Turtle's background with Jay the previous day when they were researching the man.

"That place is big enough to hold Turtle's stuff," Joe said.

"Okay, all right," Barry said. "I'm gonna head over there now."

"Wait, Barry… we haven't even figured out how to neutralise the Turtle's power," Jay said.

"It doesn't matter, I'm gonna have to power through it."

Joe looked over at Harry with a worried expression, surprised to see that Harry had the same disconcerted look written over his face as well. Barry was really going to have to push it in order to save Sophia.

"All right, I'm outside the library," Barry told the team. He had run around the building quickly assessing all the entrances and exists as well as any vantage points before stopping out in front.

"Barry, the only way to save Soph is if you grab her in between each of the Turtle's pulses. You'll only have 2/10ths of a second to make your moves," Cisco explained.

"Got it." He said with determination, running as fast as he could inside the building and towards The Turtle.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside, Sophia was squirming in her chair in an attempt to get out of her seat. She had given up on hiding her identity, and had used her energy to sear the ropes that her arms and legs had been bound in. But evidently, she still hadn't been fast enough. She had barely managed to scream out when The Turtle had jabbed a needle in her neck, the anaesthesia putting her into a deep sleep in less than three seconds.

Barry had rushed into the room just in time to see Sophia slump against the chair, her head lolling to the side. The Turtle had then turned his sights on the Flash, sending out a wave of his green energy, zapping the kinetic energy that Barry was currently emitting. He took a step forward and punched Barry multiple times, til he was on the floor.

Barry knew what his next move needed to be and he rushed out of the room, running just far enough away to give him enough momentum for a sonic boom.

"I guess he doesn't care about you as much as I thought," The Turtle spoke down at an unconscious Sophia.

He turned back only to see The Flash rushing at him once more, though this time it was different. No matter how hard he pushed back, The Flash seemed to keep moving, taking one step further each time, faster and faster until he collided with him, The Turtle sent flying back into the brick wall, knocking him unconscious.

"Soph," Barry whispered as he moved towards her form. He picked her up in his arms and dropped her off in the med bay of Star Labs before heading back to retrieve their latest prisoner, dropping his body off roughly in the pipeline before heading back up to check on his girlfriend.

Harry and Caitlin had run to Sophia's aid, checking up on her quickly. Caitlin had guessed that she would wake up in an hour or so, depending on the dose of anaesthesia administered. The doctor had also cleaned up Sophia's wound on her collarbone, placing a bandage over the laceration, stating that it was only a superficial wound, and that Sophia was lucky she didn't have any other injuries.

Barry sat by Sophia's bed, his hand in hers, insisting that the others all went home. It was getting late, and seeing as though everyone was now safe and sound, there was no reason for the entire team to be hanging around.

Caitlin nodded, hugging Barry goodbye before stopping by her lab with Jay. She had something to ask him in private, and she hoped that what came next wasn't something bad. She had begun to develop feelings for Jay, and if this turned out sour, she didn't know what it would do to her poor heart.

"Jay?"

"Yeah?

"I know." Those two words were enough to gain Jay's full attention. He turned to her with wide eyes, and a guilty expression on his face. He brought a hand up and ran it through his hair roughly, bringing it down to grab her hand. "Why didn't you tell me you were sick?"

"The Champagne. You took my DNA off the glass," Jay said, a small smile creeping up on his lips. She was always too smart for her own good.

"You know I lost my husband, how hard that was for me to move on. How could you let me get close to you knowing that soon I'd lose you too?" Caitlin asked, her eyes searching his desperately for an answer.

"I just… I didn't expect this. I didn't expect you," Jay confessed.

"Then help me find a cure," Caitlin implored.

"There is no cure," Jay told her. "The only way to save me is to get my speed back. And the only way to do that is to stop Zoom."

"Then let's stop him." Caitlin moved forward and wrapped her arms around Jay's neck, sighing as she buried her face into his chest, his arms coming around her like a blanket.

"Yeah," Jay whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

* * *

Joe had just popped open a bottle of beer, about to take the first sip of the cold drink he so desperately need after his long day when there was a knock at the front door. He sighed, and dragged his feet over to answer it, surprised to see it was Wally.

"Hey," Wally greeted, silence greeting him in return. "I think I left my sweater here the other night. It's green."

"Oh, yeah. I thought that didn't look like Barry's," Joe said, taking a much needed sip of his drink. He moved to grab the sweater that was hanging off the side of the couch, passing it to Wally. "Heading back to Keystone tonight. That's a fast trip," Joe noted, his eyes noticing the duffle bag that hung off Wally's shoulders.

"Yeah, well, it's getting a little hot in Central City for me. Don't worry," Wally remarked sarcastically. "I'll try not to run too many lights on the way there."

It was silent for a moment once more before Wally spoke up again.

"You know, if you're waiting for an apology, it's not coming."

"No. No, I'm the one that should be apologising to you. I felt bad not being there while you were growing up, and… I was pushing this whole father-son thing. I'm sorry. Let's just slow down a bit," Joe suggested. "I won't try to be your instant dad, and you won't have to pretend that you want to be my son. Deal?"

Wally had a look of contemplation on his face before he sighed in agreement. "All that food for you?" Wally pointed out.

"Doesn't have to be. You like Chow Mein?"

"No. But I like Kung Pao chicken." Wally grinned and dumped his bag at the door, entering the West household without feeling like a stranger for the first time. There was a lightness in his chest that he hadn't felt for a long time and he was glad for it.

* * *

It was nearing midnight and the team were all tucked safely in their beds at home.

Sophia had returned back to her apartment with Barry, slightly dishevelled and drowsy, but safe and sound. They had fallen asleep, Barry's arms wrapped tightly around her after he pressed a goodnight kiss to her lips, reminding her that he would always save her.

Cisco had kicked his shoes off, walking into his humble apartment, collapsing face first on his bed without a second thought.

Caitlin had gone through her nightly routine before slipping into bed, comfortable and falling sound asleep in a matter of minutes, her chat with Jay setting aside any deep worries or concerns she had about his condition or their relationship.

The remaining team members had too retired to their chambers, patting themselves on the shoulders for capturing yet another meta-human, looking forward to what would come next.

But down town, the eerie dark night brought upon a danger to Central City that none thought would ever return, spare to haunt their dreams.

A large boom and a flash of light brought through a speedster dressed in yellow. The speedster ripped his mask off, his hands pressed on his knees as he caught his breath. He pressed the button on the time watch he wore on his left wrist, speaking aloud as he took in his surroundings.

"Gideon," He breathed out in panic and confusion.

"Yes, Professor Thawne," The AI replied.

"Where the hell am I?" Eobard Thawne turned around in the middle of the empty street, cold and alone, unsure of where he had been transported to. But if there was one thing for certain, it was that he would find his way home, and when he did, he would finish what he had started.

* * *

 **A BIT OF A DRAMATIC ENDING THERE.**

How was this chapter? Decent I hope? It was giving me so much trouble.

The next chapter will probably be another 2-3 weeks as well. I'm currently writing it at the moment. I'm so behind with my writing, hope to get on top of it soon, but we'll take it one step at a time. Thank you again for being so patient with me and for supporting me.

Happy New Year to you all. I hope that 2017 brings us all a year of happiness, joy, success and peace.

 **Reviews: **

**Grace003:** Thank you for reminding me to update. I promise to try and not leave you hanging for too long.

 **The Redshirt who Lived:** Thank you, I love writing the Trickster, there's something about his character that just flows so easily. PLUS MARK HAMILL gives me that extra inspiration. I loved him as The Trickster.

 **TheDayDreamAway:** Thank you so much for your review. I'm so glad. I wanted to have some intimate moments between them since it was Christmas, and I wanted it to be super fluffy. Glad you enjoyed it.

 **PrincessMagic:** Thank you for your review. Hope you like this update as well.

 **Ellidraco1014:** Thank you for your kind words, hope you enjoy this one too.

 **RHatch89:** And you're awesome as usual, and thanks again for the review. Always brings a smile to my face.

 **LMarie99:** THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'm glad that you enjoyed it, and I hope you like this one as well.

 **Guest:** Thanks. I thought it was a cute idea. Plus I liked that it was a way to introduce Sophia to Wally and the whole situation without having to chat with other characters. It was a fun way for her to discover what was happening. So glad you liked it, and yes, I'm trying to keep up the good work, I promise!

Til next time.

Heroherondale.


	14. The Return of The Reverse-Flash

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

There was something about the simplicity of being Sophia Lang that brought the superhero a sense of peace. It was refreshing to just be human. There was a feeling of calmness that came with not having the weight of the world resting on her shoulders. If there was one thing she missed before she became the Sapphire Knight, it was this, and now that she had found some semblance of peace, she was going to keep a tight grip on it.

But the thing was, Sophia Lang wasn't just some ordinary person, and in no way did she have the luxury of pretending otherwise, though she desperately ached to.

It had been another strenuous day at work and all she could think about was coming home to her loving boyfriend. She was ready to crash and relax, and by that she meant, she was ready to plop on her bed and sleep for eternity, but perhaps after indulging on some big belly burger that she was craving.

Sophia had gone to work with the expectation that it would be an uneventful shift. She would go through the same routine that she usually did, interacting with patients, helping them with what they needed, giving them their medications and going through the mountain of paperwork she usually did every shift. What she hadn't expected was to have one of her patients go into cardiac arrest.

She knew that as a nurse it was her job to be diligent and on guard for emergency situations such as this, but the sound of the MET call running through the ward had honestly shocked her more than she had realised.

The patient was known to have had previous medical history of cardiac problems since he was a child, but they hadn't expected this to happen. It had been a rush, nurses and doctors alike running around trying to get what was necessary to treat the man before them, but in the end no matter how organised or structured they had been, no matter how fast or precise they were with their treatment, life had other plans for the twenty-nine year old laying in that bed.

Sophia had lost patients before, but somehow this one had struck home. She hadn't known the man named Hal, she had only met him a few days prior when he was admitted with a fractured radius in his left arm. But somehow, after losing him, she felt an emptiness inside, like she had somehow known him in another life. There was a familiarity to his face that she couldn't place, and she knew that if she looked into it further she would only make it harder for herself. She knew that this was something she would have to leave at work, she couldn't bring it home, because otherwise it would just hurt her even more.

Once she had finished her shift, clocking out with a solemn expression, she had flown up into the sky, now dressed in her super-suit, eyes glowing and ready for patrol. She had a set section of the city that she would take care of, and Barry the other. She had passed him on the way to a robbery down town, throwing a smile and a wink his way despite her low mood. He replied with a grin of his own before taking down the opposite side of the city where a window-washer was about to fall to his doom.

Sapphire had made quick work of the two thugs who had chosen to rob a convenience store run but a sweet old lady. She used the smallest flick of energy to throw the guns out of their grasps and then took to her fists to do the rest. It wasn't even a few minutes later that both were down, cuffed and ready to be picked up by the CCPD patrols.

Sophia threw a salute at the owner and other customers who had been witness to the attempted robbery before shooting out of the store and up into the sky. The sun had now set, the moon hanging in replacement as the sun slept. Sophia let out a heavy sigh, twirling in the clouds as she tried to clear her mind. It had been an exhausting day mentally and she was already planning to soak in a bubble bath and then fall asleep in Barry's arms.

She couldn't bear to deal with anything else at this moment in time. She just needed to put things on pause. As she looked down at the city before her, the street lights illuminating the ground below, she thought her eye caught a flash of red lightning. She blinked and looked down once again to see that there was nothing there. She shook her head, biting her lip as she reminded herself that was impossible. It was probably a figment of her imagination.

Sophia's smartwatch beeped and she saw that it was nearing midnight. A feeling of ease had settled in her bones as she realised that patrol was over. She flew back to her apartment in a daze, eager to get home.

* * *

"What you got for me, Cisco?" Barry asked as he ran around Central City. It was an early morning and Barry had decided that a run would be good for him. He had detached himself from Sophia who had been clinging onto him that morning in bed, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips before suiting up and heading out onto the road.

"You've been playing Good Samaritan all morning. Take a break. Go see your girlfriend," Cisco joked.

"I saw her last night, and this morning," Barry laughed through the comm. "It's her day off, I'm letting her sleep in. I'll catch up with her later."

"Whatever you say Romeo," Cisco said, taking a large gulp of his coffee. It didn't matter that it was steaming hot, he just needed to get some caffeine into his system.

"Good, cause we cannot afford to waste any more time," Harry said.

"What, cause we've just been sipping Mai Tais since you got here?" Cisco scoffed.

"I don't know what you've been sipping since I got here, but Barry needs to get better, stronger, faster. Even Sophia's more prepared than he is. We need to train to prepare for Zoom," Harry remarked sternly. But it was true, he had noted that Sophia had become more agile and stronger in the last month or so, moving faster in flight than she had before. It was a pity that she still wasn't fast enough for the speedster Zoom, but he knew that if she had been gifted with speed instead of her flight, she would have been a strong contender against the villain.

"Oh, I see," Cisco commented, swivelling around in his chair to face Harry. "You haven't had your coffee this morning." Cisco took another slurp of his drink causing Harry to grimace.

"I had my coffee this morning. Don't slurp."

Cisco picked up his cup of coffee once more, a smirk on his face as he brought the mug up to his lips, taking slurp of the drink again.

"Don't. Don't," Harry warned. "Don't."

But Cisco had other plans, and decided to extend his slurp, taking a large sip of the drink, the sound annoying Harry to no end. Just as he had placed his cup back down, the computer had chimed, alerting them to another emergency.

"Runaway chemical transport truck heading south on Kester," Cisco informed Barry as he took a look at the map on screen.

"On it," Barry said, making quick work of it all. It was a bit difficult but with the guidance of both Cisco and Harry he had done it and saved both the drivers in the truck, as well as the civilians on standby that had nearly been run over by the truck.

"How's that for training?" Barry spoke breathlessly through the comm. a grin planted on his face.

"Great," Cisco commended, letting go of the mic button. "Look we're gonna catch Zoom. We got Turtle locked up in the pipeline. All we got to do is use him to figure out how to steal Zoom's speed and then we'll get your daughter back," Cisco said, now turning to Wells to speak.

"That might take longer than we thought," Caitlin said, walking into the room, a grim expression on her face.

"Why's that?"

"Because Turtle's dead."

A feeling of dread ran through Cisco at Caitlin's words.

"Barry, we need you back here, stat," Cisco informed, pressing down on the mic. Cisco shared a worried look with Caitlin and Harry as they moved to head down to the pipeline.

"I'm on my way," Barry said.

* * *

"Gideon," Eobard activated the AI on his watch casually as he sat on a park bench across from a coffee joint in Central City.

The sun was out, and Eobard had managed to find himself a pair of clothes to blend into daily life in Central City to do a bit of recon. He knew that before making a decision about what his next move would be he would need to gather as much information as he could about the time period he was currently stuck in, otherwise he would have no hope of returning to his time.

"Was the trip a success, Professor Thawne?" Gideon asked.

"I believe it was. I've finally figured out what time period The Flash is from. Now let's figure out a way to get home," Eobard said as he watched a familiar face sip her coffee inside a shop named Jitters.

Every day he spent here, he was getting closer to discovering the truth that had been hidden from him for so long.

Eobard had a feeling that things were about to get interesting.

* * *

Sophia had been alerted to their current problem through a phone call from Barry that morning. She had been enjoying a morning coffee at Jitters with Iris and they both decided to head straight to Star Labs upon hearing the news.

Sophia had mixed feelings about the situation. She hadn't exactly cared about The Turtle's wellbeing, especially after what he had done to her, but she felt weird knowing that he had died in their care. Had it been something they had done, had they become as bad as their enemies, taking lives unnecessarily?

"He better not be pulling a Juliet," Sophia was brought out of her thoughts by Cisco's comment. "Yeah, that's right, I see plays," Cisco said in response to the weird looks he was getting from the team.

"He's dead, Cisco," Caitlin told him with a glare.

They had all been down in the pipeline, looking at the Turtles cold pale body resting inside his cell, wondering how the hell this happened and what they were going to do next. Sophia was now sitting down in the Cortex next to Iris as they listened to everyone chatter and discuss the situation at hand.

"How'd this happen?"

"Preliminary brain scan shows an acute brain aneurysm," Caitlin informed, and somehow this news had sent a flicker of relief through Sophia. She didn't want The Turtle's blood on her hands.

"The night we captured him. How's that for timing?" Jay pointed out, arms crossed, his eyes darting accusingly towards Harry.

"What does that mean?" Harry jumped to defend. "You think I did this, Garrick? This man is the key to us stopping Zoom, the key to me saving my daughter. Why would I want that?"

"Never understood why you do anything, Harrison," Jay spat back, taking a step toward Harry.

"That's fine with me, Garrick."

"Guys, look," Barry tried to diffuse the tension. "We need to figure out how to stop Zoom. Everything we've tried so far has failed. We need to start thinking outside the box. I mean, we haven't even figured out how to close the breaches yet. Maybe that's where we should start."

"That's a good idea."

"I'll get on that," Caitlin said.

"I'll help," Jay joined in as they left the room.

"I'll be at the CCPD. If you need me, call me," Barry told them. Sophia responded with a smile, her cheeks tinting pink when he gave her a speed kiss on the way out.

"I guess I should get back to work then. Keep me posted," Iris said to Sophia, waving at Cisco and Harry on her way out.

"Well, looks like it'll be us then," Sophia said to the boys who both groaned for some reason. She frowned and figured that everyone needed to lighten up a bit, and she had just the thing in mind.

* * *

It turns out flying half way across Central City just to pick up some of the greatest crafted gelato was a great idea. Sophia had picked up a whole range of flavours, sticking to some exotic stuff for herself, regular chocolate for Harry and coffee flavoured for Cisco.

Turns out both of them had a sweet tooth, and once she had shoved the gelato in front of them, they had both eagerly started to consume the dessert.

"It's not gonna work," Cisco groaned. "Closing the breaches, that's like solving Einstein's riddle."

"I solved Einstein's riddle when I was ten," Harry countered and Sophia turned to him with wide eyes, certainly impressed.

"Yell, well, maybe Earth-2 Einstein wasn't as clever as ours."

"You realise this Earth is my Earth-2, right?"

"We can do this, we have to do this," Sophia told them both.

"What if we can figure out how to control my powers?" Cisco asked. "We could find Zoom, get the jump on him."

"That's a good idea. You should get on that," Harry said sarcastically before turning away to continue to work at his station.

"I need your help, Harry."

"What you need, Ramon, is to figure out what triggers your vibes."

"Exactly and I don't know what triggers them. It's completely inconsistent. Sometimes it's when I touch something that belongs to a breacher, sometimes it just happens."

"There's always a cause. Cause, effect."

"Okay, so what is the cause?"

"You saw when I tried to vibe Dr. Light, when I tried to vibe you, took a while to work."

"Yes. Yes, it did."

"Meet me in the Time Vault," Harry told Cisco, walking out of the room with nothing more to say.

"For what?" Cisco asked, as Harry walked away. "For what?"

"Who knows? Want some company?" Sophia asked, causing Cisco to nod in response. They both moved, walking out of the cortex and down the hallway where the Time Vault was hidden in. Cisco raised his hand towards the wall, unlocking the room and opening it up.

"Hello?" Cisco asked as he walked into the room. The lights were on, but the room was empty. Sophia was standing beside him as they waited for Harry.

"Hello? Harry?" Sophia called out.

"Of course, now he's gonna make me wait in this freaky-ass braille room," Cisco groaned.

Sophia let out a little laugh at this, but the air was quickly stolen from her lungs when she turned around to see Harry standing there in the Reverse-Flash's yellow suit.

Both Cisco and Sophia let out a scream and she threw her hand out in front of her on pure instinct, a bolt of blue energy shooting out of her hands and towards Harry, hitting him in the abdomen.

"Stop! Don't do that!" Cisco yelled, as he recovered from the shock.

Harry grunted as he got back up after being hit by Sophia, clutching his stomach area. He knew that it was going to bruise in the morning.

"I figured out your trigger."

"You figured out all our triggers, genius," Sophia mumbled under her breath.

"A rush of adrenaline. Dopamine floods the brain, and the quickest way to achieve that result… fear," Harry said, pulling the mask over his face.

A moment later and Cisco's world shifted, he saw the Reverse-Flash before his eyes, glowing red eyes and the lightning that almost always came with super speed flashing before his eyes.

"Do not move! You can't be," Cisco breathed out.

"What did you see?" Sophia asked taking a step towards Cisco with concerned eyes.

"The Reverse-Flash," Cisco said, and not a moment later, the alarms started blaring. Sophia whipped around to face the front door at the sound and then back to Cisco. "He's here."

Sophia's heart fell in her chest at Cisco's words and it took every bit of strength inside her to keep her cool.

* * *

"Christina McGee," Eobard said, his sudden and abrupt appearance frightening the scientist. He had broken into Mercury Lab once he determined who would be his best bet to send him back to his time, and this just happened to be Dr. McGee.

"Who are you?" The woman in question asked, turning around to see a man dressed in a yellow suit.

"You're coming with me." Eobard pulled Dr. McGee behind him when a blur of red came barrelling into the room.

Barry had been alerted to the situation immediately, and his heart pounded violently in his chest as his eyes met The Reverse-Flash, a face he thought was gone forever.

"Flash." Eobard smirked, eyes glowing red. He had expected that his actions would bring about the appearance of his nemesis, and he was especially pleased with the shock that was situated on The Flash's face.

"Eobard Thawne."

"You know who I am?" Eobard's eyes grew wide at this revelation.

"You died!" The Flash yelled, his stance rigid.

"Good to know. And guess what, Flash. I know what time period you're from. So that means very soon… you will die."

And in a blur, the Reverse-Flash was gone, and so was Dr. McGee.

* * *

"Barry?" Sophia called through the comm. By the time that she, Harry and Cisco had rushed into the cortex to see what was happening, it was too late. Eobard had already come and gone from Star Labs, and their alert was ringing for a situation down at Mercury Labs.

Barry ran back into Star Labs, ripping off the hood of his suit in anger and frustration.

"He's back. He's actually back," Barry said, trudging into the room and collapsing into a chair.

"You okay, Bar?" Joe asked, putting a hand on Barry's shoulder.

Cisco had send out an SOS to the entire team, calling everyone in.

Sophia was leaning against the railing by the computers, staring into an empty space before her eyes as she tried to gather her thoughts. She couldn't believe what was happening. Her worst nightmare was coming true. Eobard Thawne was back. The man who had caused so much pain and trouble in all of their lives was alive, and he was back to haunt them.

"I'm good, yeah. It's just a lot," Barry said, looking up at Sophia with worried eyes, noticing that she had been quiet since he arrived back.

"Eddie Thawne died, so Eobard Thawne should have been erased out of existence, right?"

"Not necessarily. It's possible Eobard was in the Speed Force, protecting him like a bomb shelter, keeping him alive and his time line intact. It's what's known as a timeline remnant."

"A what, now?"

"Here, let me show you." As soon as Sophia saw him pick up the whiteboard marker, she knew that it was going to be another little lesson on their clear whiteboard.

"This?" Harry drew a line. "This, is now. Here today." He then drew another line ahead of that. "This is the line Thawne comes from." He then cut the line down the middle with a mark towards the past of their timeline. "This is the moment you all erased him from existence, but since Thawne is from the future, this is where his timeline begins. That's why he's still alive. This Thawne has not yet travelled back in time to kill Barry's mother. He's here now in this time period for the first time."

"Timeline remnant," Sophia murmured. "At least that explains why nothing here has changed." She mused, pinching the skin on the back of her hand.

"Yeah, it also explains why he didn't know my name or that we have met before," Barry mused.

"To him, you hadn't. Not until the future."

"If Thawne dies before he can time travel again, will that save Barry's mother?"

"No. That's not how it works," Harry said. "In our timeline, Barry's mother is already dead, and her death is a fixed point. Nothing can change that."

"All right, well, I'm gonna end this, him, in this time once and for all."

"Look, why don't we focus on getting Dr. McGee back, then worry about what to do with Thawne," Sophia said. "We need to get her back before we can attack him, otherwise she'll get stuck in the crossfire."

"I got to go check on Iris," Joe mentioned. He knew that with the news of the return of The Reverse-Flash wouldn't sit well with her after what happened to Eddie.

"Ramon," Harry called Cisco over.

Barry then noticed Caitlin pacing the room nervously.

"Caitlin, I know you're worried about Dr. McGee, but we're gonna get her back," He tried to reassure her.

"It's not that. It's Jay."

"What about Jay?" Sophia asked, taking a step forward. She didn't like the worried expression that was settled on Caitlin's face.

"He's sick, and it's getting worse. When Zoom stole his speed, it affected him on a cellular level. We need to do something about it, we need to help him," Caitlin pleaded to her friends.

"All right, like what?" Barry asked. His mind was too busy focusing on their new case with the Reverse-Flash, but with Jay now becoming a part of their team, he would try and do whatever he could to help.

"I think we should replace his dying cells with healthy ones indistinguishable from his," Caitlin said.

"How the hell are we going to do that? You'd have to have a twin, or a…"

"Doppelganger," Barry and Caitlin finished for Sophia.

"Okay, so we find his Earth-1 doppelganger and hope for the best."

"Let's get to it."

* * *

"Tachyons?" Dr. McGee questioned. There had been another incident with Tachyons that had been quite clearly burned into her memory. The panic and disaster that had followed was something one would not easily forget.

When her kidnapper turned to look at her with curious eyes, she sighed before licking her lips, explaining what she had meant with her question.

"The man in a yellow suit tried to steal another tachyon prototype last year."

"I must have gotten stuck here once before and not been able to access enough of the Speed Force. Tachyons should do it," Eobard mused to himself. "I want you to isolate and accelerate their energetic properties for me."

"I don't know if I can do that." In all honesty, she knew that if she put her mind to it, she was sure she could figure it out. But she was buying herself time. As long as he needed her for something, he wouldn't kill her.

"If you want to stay alive… learn."

* * *

"I can't believe he's back," Sophia said, flicking her indicator on and turning right into the hospital staff car parking. She swiftly parked her car, and then turned her head to her right to look at Barry.

"I know," Barry sighed, but as she turned off the ignition and they sat there in their seats with heavy hearts. Barry took her hand in his own, squeezing it firmly to let her know that he was here. "I know it's completely insane, but we'll get through it. We'll catch him. Together."

"Together." Sophia gave Barry a soft smile before leaning over and placing a soft kiss on his lips, savouring this intimate moment between the two of them. She felt like time was rushing past, and she wasn't able to enjoy anything anymore like she used to. He responded with ease, his lips parting against her own, a heady sigh escaping from his mouth as they continued to kiss, only to be interrupted by Barry's phone beeping in his pocket.

Barry gave Sophia one last kiss before breaking apart, sending her an apologetic look as he checked his phone. Caitlin had sent him a message to come down to Star Labs, saying that she may have found a lead for Jay's Earth-1 doppelganger and that she needed his help.

"I've got to go."

"Likewise. I'll only be here for an hour or two, just a bit of paperwork I need to finish signing off," Sophia said. "As soon as I'm done, I'll head back your way."

In the blink of an eye, and with a rush of wind, Barry was gone, leaving Sophia sitting in her car on her lonesome. She reached over and grabbed her handbag from the back seat, grabbing her phone and checking for any messages from Iris. She had spoken to her the previous night and was told that she and Joe would be coming down to the hospital this morning to visit Francine.

Sophia walked into the hospital, throwing smiles and quick waves at familiar faces until she reached the oncology ward where Francine was. She passed Iris and Joe on the way in and stopped by quickly, giving them both hugs and letting them know she would be in soon.

* * *

Iris had her hands shoved into the pockets of her suede navy jacket as she walked the halls of the hospital with her father headed in the direction of Francine's room. They had just passed Sophia on the way in and they were glad she had said she would come and visit her mother.

Iris had come to visit her mother a few times after work this week, but because of the recent late hours at CCPN she hadn't had a chance to spend more time with Francine. She didn't know when she started thinking of Francine as her mother, but she knew that it would hurt more when she lost her. All she wanted to do was make sure that her mother was at ease and in no pain when she passed. She also wanted her mother to be surrounded by people who loved her and cared for her. She didn't want her to die alone.

"Franny," Joe greeted as they walked into the room, leaning over towards Francine and placing a soft kiss on her forehead, and depositing the bouquet of sunflowers he had bought in a vase by her beside, brightening up the room in an instant.

"Hey." Francine smiled at Joe and Iris, glad they had come to visit. It was getting a bit lonely.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Better now."

"I'm gonna let you two talk, okay?" Joe said before leaving the room in search of some coffee. He had so many years, so many memories with Francine, good and bad, and he wanted to give Iris a chance to get to know her mother better by herself. He owed it to her, so he made himself scarce.

"Can I get you anything?" Iris asked.

"Oh, just that brother of yours so all of us can be together for the first time," Francine laughed, but the sorrowful meaning of her words seeped through in her tone.

"Yeah, he should be here."

"His mother is leaving him. Can't blame him for being angry about that," Francine sighed. She felt worse for her son. He had known her all his life, they were all each other had and now she was going. "I wish he'd get all that anger out while I'm here to help. Same goes for you Iris. One thing you learn when you're dying is not to hold anything back."

"You want to say something to me? You need to say it while you can."

"I have so many great memories from when I grew up," Iris said. "Now when I think about those memories, I can only wonder what it would have been like if you and Wally would have been there." Her voice cracked and she bit her lip, taking a breath before continuing. "I'm not angry at you anymore for what happened. I just wish you would have come back to us a lot sooner." Tears were beginning to form in her eyes but she did her best to keep them at bay. "Because I would have forgiven you then, just like I'm forgiving you now."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you. Thank you." Iris leaned over the bed and hugged her mother, committing this moment to memory, committing the feeling of her mother's arms and comfort around her because she didn't know how much longer she would have.

Joe and Sophia had come back with coffee and snacks to find Iris and Francine still in their embrace. It was a beautiful sight to see and as Sophia looked over at Joe she could see the emotion in his eyes. After a moment of standing there they walked in and enjoyed the light conversation with Francine. They spent about an hour there before heading off, each going their separate ways. Joe was headed down to the CCPD, Iris was back to work at CCPN and Sophia was going to head back to Star Labs.

"I don't know why this is so hard. I barely even know her," Iris had told them as they walked out of the hospital, the sun shining so bright it caused them to squint in response.

"Whether you know her or not, she's still your mother and losing your mother is one of the hardest things you'll have to go through in your life," Sophia said, her mind flashing back to when she was just a teenager and how she had felt torn apart inside at the loss of her own mother. "But family makes it easier. You learn to celebrate and laugh at the life they lived rather than cry at the loss. But it does take time. You know that better than anyone."

"Yeah. I do. Thanks, Sophia. It means a lot that you're here," Iris said, moving forward to hug her.

"You're practically family. I'm always going to be here for you both." She gave them both warm smiles before they parted ways and she prayed that things would get better… for all of them.

* * *

Barry had been researching away with Caitlin for most of the morning, but he wasn't yielding any results. He was sure this was because it was half-hearted work. His thoughts were slowly being consumed by a cloud of darkness that came with the familiar stench of the Reverse-Flash. They had been down at Star Labs running tests that morning and had then escaped to the CCPD in an attempt to run more tests on their databases which would give them a wider range.

"The facial recognition software at Star Labs didn't find anything either."

"No, but there's still more databases to check. We'll find his doppelganger," Barry reassured Caitlin. He felt guilty considering he wasn't giving it his all this morning. There were just too many things happening at once and he honestly wasn't sure how he was coping at this very moment in time.

"Thanks, Barry." Caitlin gave him a grateful smile.

"Yeah. Look, I'll keep the program running in my lab, but there's not much more we can do other than wait. We should probably get back to Star Labs and see if we can figure out what's going on with the Reverse-Flash."

"Yeah, we should get back."

Barry nodded, looking around the room quickly to check that no one was watching them before picking up Caitlin and running them over to Star Labs. But what he hadn't noticed was that Patty had been walking into the room in that moment, only to see Barry for a moment, and him gone the next.

The blonde detective stopped in her step, blinking and taking another look around, unsure if what she had just seen was real or just a trick of the light. She shook her head, realising that she was reaching too far with that thought and figured she had just had a long night.

* * *

It was pouring rain outside, the heavy thrum of rain pelting down on the rooftops leaving behind the smell of petrichor lingering in the air. Sophia was lounging on the couch in the tea room of Star Labs, sipping on a cup of coffee so large that hot liquid was brimmed to the top, seconds away from toppling over until she had taken a large gulp.

On the way back to Star Labs, Sophia had been driving down Ridgway Boulevard, cruising down at 70 miles per hour when someone ran out in front of her car. She stepped on the breaks the moment she saw the figure of a man standing in front of her vehicle, her heart pounding inside her chest, only to have her blood run cold when she saw exactly who it was. Standing before her very eyes was Eobard Thawne, the man who had once left her riddled with nightmares and pain. He tilted his head as he looked down at her curiously but before she could get her car door open to confront the man, he had sped away in a flash, leaving her standing in the middle of an empty road with anxiety sitting in the pit of her stomach and her heart racing.

By the time she had built up the courage to get back into her car she couldn't choose what emotion to feel. She wanted to scream and cry, she wanted to shoot up into the sky and fly over every inch of Central City until she found that demon, but the only thing she could do was sit on the couch and focus on the warmth emanating from the cup of coffee in her hands.

But still as she sat there, she could feel hands shaking, the lightest tremor travelling through her fingertips, delicate but strong enough to jerk the liquid inside her cup. She placed the cup down on the table in front of her. She brought her knees up to her chest and buried her head into a pillow, screaming into it until her throat felt raw. She threw the pillow across the room, blowing a few stray hairs out of her field of vision haphazardly and tried to calm herself down.

"Soph, I've been looking for you everywhere," Barry said as he walked into the room, unaware of the current situation. His mood was chipper at the thought of seeing his girlfriend even though their morning was off to a very rough start, but at the sight of her he paused in his movements.

Her hair was a bit of a mess, it looked like it usually did after she would run her fingers through it when she was stressed or frustrated. Her shoes were kicked off to the side leaving her barefoot and the rapid rise and fall of her chest indicated that something was wrong. He couldn't see her face clearly just yet since her hands were covering it but he knew that something here was not right.

"Sophia? What's wrong?" He moved to sit beside her on the couch, placing his arm around her and she leaned into his touch. Her hands moved from her face to wrap around his middle and she buried her face into the crook of his neck, breathing deeply.

"Soph?"

"The Reverse-Flash… uh, Eobard. He ran in front of my car today coming back from the hospital. I-It was like I couldn't move, I was frozen in my seat and by the time I had moved an inch to open the door, he was gone." Sophia's words were rushed and she was sure the only way Barry was keeping up with her was because he could function faster than she could. "He just stood there on the road in front of me, watching me, taunting me, like he could hurt me in a second flat and I'd be too slow."

"When did this happen?"

"About a half-hour ago." She pulled back from the embrace, looking up at him with worried eyes.

"Why didn't you call me? I could've- I-."

"I didn't know what to do Barry. I freaked out and just came back here. I don't feel safe when he's around. It's different to Zoom. Somehow it's worse, because Eobard's already hurt us, we know what he's capable of. I didn't know what to do, so I came here."

"Why would he do that? He doesn't know who I am in the future, meaning he doesn't know we're together, and in that future, you weren't Sapphire, so why would he do that? It doesn't make sense?"

"I don't know, I honestly don't know," She whispered, her voice small and vulnerable.

"It's gonna be ok. I'm going to stop him."

Barry brought his hand up to her face, brushing away a piece of her hair and tucking it behind her ear. He placed his hand under her chin and brought his lips to hers. Sophia's eyes fluttered shut and she let herself forget the world around her for a while, forget the worries of the day and loose herself in the moment. The kiss was bruising, their lips melding together with a passion that Sophia had missed. Her hands moved to their own accord, running themselves up Barry's chest until they reached his neck, and then trickling themselves up into his hair. Barry pulled away from her breathless and full of love, pressing a kiss to her cheek, and then on her neck just under her ear, his arms now weaving themselves around her firmly.

"We're going to find him, I promise. As long as I live, I will protect you, Sophia. Don't ever forget that."

She nodded into his chest, squeezing her eyes shut as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Listen, why don't we head down to the Cortex? Harry claims he's got a breakthrough with Cisco's powers. At the very least, it'll be a distraction for us both."

"Sure."

Barry held Sophia in his arms for a moment longer before the walked up to the Cortex, pressing his lips against her head. Just the thought of Eobard Thawne going to see her today, to taunt her like that was enough to send him into a frenzy. He had lost her once because of him, and he wasn't going to make that same mistake again.

* * *

"So what did you do to my goggles?" Cisco asked as he inspected said goggles in his hands.

"I added a wavelength trigger to stimulate the fear receptors in your brain. Then I took what you already had to induce slow-wave sleep, upgraded it to get you to stage-four sleep."

Cisco groaned audibly at this statement.

"No, this is good," Harry insisted. "This will give us more control."

"Okay."

"Now I'll be able to dictate how long you vibe for."

"Put 'em on."

"What am I gonna see?" Cisco asked.

"I don't know. Never done this before."

"You'll have to tell me so I can steer where you need to be. Ramon, you want to find Reverse-Flash, put on the goggles."

"Okay."

"Attaboy."

"Go ahead."

Cisco placed the goggles on his face, liking the new style and feel as soon as he put them on. He pressed a button on the side and it powered up, and he could feel both the device and his powers work in tandem. It was nothing like he felt before, it felt clearer, like he had crappy vision, and it was the first time he had worn a pair of glasses, correcting his vision.

"Oh-ho-ho, yeah, man. I'm in full-on vibe mode right now," Cisco cheered.

"What do you see?"

"It's hard to explain," Cisco said. "It's different events." He watched as the world around him changed, colours of cobalt, red and yellow mixing together, it was incredible. He felt like he was in the middle of some 3D experience. It was insane. "Different events in time."

"Concentrate on the Reverse-Flash," Harry said.

"Okay." Cisco focused, thinking about their past with the Reverse-Flash, imagining the yellow suit and the red devil eyes that came with it.

"I see him." Cisco spotted him in the distance.

"Move toward him."

"Okay, now what?" He was standing next to him now, and it felt weird.

"Try to picture him with Christina McGee."

A moment later, Christina appeared, standing next to Eobard.

"Where the hell am I?"

"It's charged. You can go now," Christina said. "You said you'd release me."

"Yes, I did. Didn't I?" The Reverse-Flash grinned manically, plunging his phasing hand through her chest.

"No!" Cisco yelled into the void, but it was fruitless. He jerked out of the vibe mode and threw his glasses off.

"She can't be…." He gasped.

"Well, what is it?" Harry asked impatiently.

"She's dead."

"Dr. McGee is dead?" Sophia felt sick at the thought that The Reverse-Flash had taken another innocent life.

"Harry and I were trying to hone my powers to find Zoom, and then we ended up using them, finding The Reverse-Flash, and that's when I saw him kill her."

"And then he left."

"He left? What do you mean, he left?" Barry asked.

"McGee built him some kind of speed machine and he ran into it and got flung back into the future."

"You'd need superluminal energy to send someone through time."

"You mean like tachyons?" Sophia asked.

"Tachyons." Harry nodded.

"We can track their location once they've been activated," Barry said and Cisco nodded, moving to his computer.

"Anything?" Barry asked.

"Nothing."

"Cisco, you're sure that's what you saw?" Barry asked.

"I'm positive," Cisco replied.

"All right. What else did you see?"

"There was all sorts of weird tech everywhere. There was a clock."

"What time did the clock say?" Harry asked.

"9:25, I think. How… how is that relevant?" Cisco asked.

"It's only 6:00 now," Sophia said, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Are you telling me I can see the future?" Cisco asked, looking as though he was having an aneurysm at this news.

"That's exactly what I'm telling you."

"Those goggles are getting named immediately."

"If Cisco can see into the future that means Dr. McGee is still alive. We can save her."

"We have 3 hours and 52 minutes to find her and stop the Reverse-Flash."

"We've done crazier things. Let's do it," Sophia said with a new found determination.

* * *

"Nice nitrous kit," Iris commented as she walked into the mechanics shed, her hands tucked into her red and black coat. She leaned up against Wally's car, glancing over at him as he worked on the engine, tinkering around with bits and pieces of metal. "You're gonna get caught one of these days. You know that right? Get thrown in jail?"

Wally sighed at the sight of Iris. It was getting late, and he had been rushing to fix his engine before an important race tonight, he didn't need her distracting him. He had over two grand resting on tonight's win, which would get him a step ahead of his mom's hospital bills, leaving him with enough cash to pay for the cheap room he was renting while he was staying in central city. There were days where he ended up sleeping in his car in order to save some extra cash, and if he didn't have to, it would be preferable. He stopped twisting the bolt he was working on, dropping the wrench on the side as he turned to look at her. "I'll stop racing when these hospital bills stop coming in," Wally threw at her, not feeling bad when he saw the guilty look upon her face, not when she was trying to do the exact same to get him to stop. He was doing everything he could to get by and take care of his mom.

"I saw Mom today. She says you haven't been by in a while," Iris said softly.

"Yeah, she knows why." He didn't know why he didn't argue with her further on this. He had gone to see her every day this week. He had just been sneaking in after visiting hours had been closed, sitting by her bedside as she slept. He couldn't bear to see her in pain while she was awake, that and he was busy trying to scrounge up money where he could to pay for her hospital bills.

"She thinks it's because you're angry with her." And then there was that too. The betrayal, the lies, the secrecy. For over twenty years, his entire existence on this Earth, he thought it was just him and his mother. He hadn't known he had family and now it was just… too late. He had missed out on so much and he did have some resentment towards her because of it.

"I have every right to be angry," Wally said. "Nothing for 20 years, then out of nowhere, she tells me I have a sister, I have… I have a father."

"Yeah, the same thing happened to me too, remember? But that shouldn't keep you from seeing her before you can't anymore."

"No. Look, that's not what it is." Wally pursed his lips.

"Then what is it, Wally?" Iris asked.

"I got to go."

Wally closed the hood of his car, the bonnet clicking in place. He dried his hands on an old rag that was riddled with grease and oil before heading in the direction of the exit. Iris called out to him just as he was walking away causing him to freeze in his step.

"Last year, my fiancé died, unexpectedly. One moment he was here, the next… gone. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him, to tell him everything he meant to me, that he was my world, that he was loved. But today, I got to say goodbye to your mom. My mom. And it helped us both find peace with what happened to our family." Iris placed her hand on Wally's shoulder. "Wally, don't make a mistake you're gonna regret for the rest of your life. Go see your mom while you still can."

He stayed still for a moment longer before shrugging her touch off him, moving to go his separate way. Iris sighed, leaning against his car with a heavy heart, hoping that he would make the right decision.

* * *

"No sign of tachyon activity," Harry said as he watched the screens closely.

"We're running out of time. We've got to find them," Barry said, pacing the room nervously. If they didn't find them soon then not only would Dr. McGee die, but Eobard would be on the loose once again, travelling throughout time, and causing trouble.

"It'll take a few minutes for the device to reach full power once it's activated, but when we find it, you're gonna have to get there fast," Cisco informed him.

"We just have to be patient," Sophia advised from her spot. She was hovering in the air, her legs crossed and her arms resting in her lap as she meditated. It was good practice for her flying to just practice holding herself in mid-air. There wasn't much more they could do but wait for the program to register the tachyon activity.

"Hey, Barry." Caitlin walked over to Barry, pulling him aside from the others.

"Yeah?"

"Have you found out anything else about Jay's doppelganger?" Caitlin asked hopefully.

"There's no Jay Garrick on this Earth," Barry told her. He had gone through every database he could and there was no Jay Garrick.

"That's so weird. Everyone has a doppelganger." Caitlin pursed her lips in contemplation. It didn't make sense. So far everyone that had come from E2 had an E1 counterpart.

"Maybe just ask Jay. He's a good guy. Just ask him. I'm sure he'll tell you," Barry said.

"Okay."

Just as their conversation finished, an alarm blared from the computer.

"Tachyons! 87th and Avenue J," Cisco announced.

Sophia was dressed in her suit and out the door before Barry which was a surprise to them all. Her blood was pumping with adrenaline and she only had one thought on her mind. Save Dr. McGee.

She knew that the Reverse-Flash would be too fast for her, she wouldn't be able to get in a hit unless he slowed down, and so she would leave him to Barry. Her top priority was getting Dr. McGee out of there alive and safe.

She could hear Cisco chatting on the comm. about how it was one of Mercury Labs off-site facilities. It was large and dusty, but there was plenty of technology and equipment around. She flew into the facility seamlessly, not making a sound as she landed just behind Eobard and Dr. McGee.

A second later, Barry was by her side, the both of them watching carefully.

"It's charged. You can go now," Dr. McGee said as Eobard took a step towards the controls, looking at the device that was essentially a time traveling machine… well at least to a speedster. "You said you'd release me."

"Yes, I did. Didn't I?"

"He's going to kill her," Sophia whispered to Barry. "I'll get her, you catch him."

Eobard took a step towards Dr. McGee, pulling the hood of his mask over his face, his eyes gleaming scarlet, and his right hand phasing back and forth, darting towards her chest.

Before The Reverse-Flash could kill Dr. McGee, Sophia threw both hands out in front of her, cobalt energy sprouting from her hands in a single blast, the bolts of energy smashing into Eobard with so much force that he ended up flying through the air, crashing into the other side of the facility. With lightning quick reflexes, she summoned more energy from around her, damaging the device that Dr. McGee had built for Eobard. The machine sparked, the bright lights dying out a moment later.

"All yours, honey," Sophia told Barry who nodded at her. She darted over to Dr. McGee, grabbing her around her waist, flying the both of them out of the facility, leaving Barry to deal with The Reverse-Flash.

"That was my way home!" The Reverse-Flash roared in anger, turning to see the woman in blue fly his hostage out of the facility, and The Flash stand before him.

"You're not going anywhere," Barry said, running after the man in yellow, something he had hoped he would never have to do again in his lifetime.

"You haven't won here, Flash," Eobard rasped. "I'll find another way back."

"You're gonna have to get through me first."

"You really think you're fast enough to stop me." Eobard cackled.

"Let's find out." Barry smirked, feeling more than confident.

"Catch me if you can."

The battle had begun, and though Barry had once been inferior to the Reverse-Flash it seemed as though time and practice had paid off well. Barry was easily able to catch him, grabbing him by the back of his hood, his leather clad fingers grasping the yellow material of the speedster in front of him and pulling back as far as he could, the momentum alone sending him crashing into the ground once more that night.

"Not fast enough, Thawne." Barry threw his body up against some metal fencing, punching at him, left, right and centre. His fists were moving so fast, it was too much for even Eobard to try and block. Eobard grunted as Barry speed punched him in the abdomen and chest, leaving it hard for him to breathe, let alone retaliate. "I will never lose to you again."

"This war between us, it ends now!"

Barry had been so focused on the fight between him and Eobard that he didn't realise that Sophia had flown back to the facility by his side, trying to pull him back from killing Eobard. The Reverse-Flash was unconscious already and had been while Barry had thrown multiple hits at him, his body sliding to the floor when Sophia had ripped Barry from him.

"Bar!" Sophia watched as he stood there, his form towering over The Reverse-Flash, his chest heaving as he looked down at his clenched fists.

"Get the cell ready."

* * *

"Hey, he can't…?" Cisco asked, leaving the question unfinished and open to interpretation.

"Phase his way out? No, he can't do that. It's the same cell we used to hold Dr. Wells last year," Barry said as he carefully watched the video footage on screen before turning to walk out of the cortex. Sophia noticed this movement and was quick in grabbing his wrist.

"Barry, where are you going?" She asked gently. She knew that he was on edge, she was as well, hell the entire team was.

"I'm going down there," Barry said.

"No, you're not. You can't go down there like this." Sophia released her grip on his hand. She could object, but she wasn't going to physically stop him. It was his choice to make. He had to be responsible about it.

"She's right. The more he learns about you, the more you will alter the time line," Harry said.

"He killed my mom!"

Silence filled the room, the tension building up higher and higher until Harry spoke once more.

"He's from the future. He hasn't done that yet. He doesn't even know you're The Flash, and you need to keep it that way."

"You already said that his mother's gonna die no matter what we do," Cisco pointed out.

"There's ramifications any time anybody messes with the timeline, and it's impossible to predict what those ramifications are going to be," Harry said, pacing the room.

"Barry, you caught him and you stopped him from killing Dr. McGee. In my book, that's a win."

"This doesn't feel like a win." Barry ran out of the room, leaving a gust of wind in his wake.

"I'll go speak to him. Just please, don't screw up here. Watch him carefully. Eobard Thawne might be a psychopath, but he's an intelligent one," Sophia said, hoping that Harry would be able to keep a handle on things.

Sophia flew up to the roof of Star Labs to find Barry sitting on the edge, legs dangling off. She took a moment to take admire the midnight sky. It had been a long and tiring day and she could understand how Barry was feeling. She felt the same way, he was just more expressive. She walked over and sat beside him, grasping his hand in her own, intertwining their fingers.

She could feel the steady thrum of his blood pumping through his veins as she held his hand. She rubbed her thumb gently, caressing the back of his hand, hoping the action would calm him down and let him know that she was here.

"It's okay to feel like this you know. Frustrated… helpless. Sometimes being superheroes, behind held up on this pedestal, it makes us feel like we have to be strong all the time. But we're human too. We are allowed to have moments of weakness, moments of uncertainty," Sophia spoke, her words resonating with him. He turned to gaze at her as she continued.

"I know how desperately you want to confront him, and you have the right to, especially after what he did to your mother, to your family… to you. But it's not going to change the past and it may in fact change our future. You're in control right now. If you go in there, he gets to control what happens next to us. There's a possibility that the future where I die, the one that you erased could happen again. I don't want that to happen, I'm terrified of it happening. I want to live, Barry. I want to live by your side, to grow old with you, to have children. I don't want to let Eobard Thawne take control over our lives for one more second."

Sophia hadn't realised she had been feeling this way until the words tumbled off her lips, like a tsunami, uncontainable and destructive. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment to gain control over her emotions, opening her eyes and turning to her right to see her lover staring back at her.

"How come you never told me you felt this way? I mean, earlier, I know you were scared of Eobard, but this other stuff about the future, I didn't know… I'm… I'm sorry for not paying more attention. I'm just- I'm sorry."

"I didn't even realise I was feeling this way til now. You just- If you talk to him, you need to be careful."

"I will be," Barry promised, leaning down and pressing a sweet kiss to her lips, her lips brushing against his, the two of them leaving the world behind, and focusing on each other, even if was just for a little while.

* * *

"How'd you get your suit in your ring?" Cisco asked, curiosity filling his voice.

"Who are you?" Eobard asked from his spot on the floor. He had been pacing his cell earlier, trying to find a way out of there, but his efforts were fruitless. Whatever material they had created this cell out of, he wasn't able to phase out. He was stuck here until his captors decided to release him.

"My name is Cisco Ramon."

"And we know each other well, don't we?" Eobard asked, leaning forward from his spot.

"We have history together. You could say that," Cisco said ominously, taking a step out of the shadows that had been casted over him.

"And that's all you want to know? How I got my suit in my ring?" Eobard raised a brow. It was certainly an interesting request.

"I want you to know that I'm the one who figured out you were back. I helped stop you. _Me_."

"And how'd you do that?" Eobard asked, watching the man before him with curious eyes. This trip to the past was become more and more intriguing.

"I have powers. And I helped track you down and I put you in here." Cisco felt proud about this fact, and he wasn't going to be shy about it.

"That's quite the ability you've been given."

"And here's what so ironic about it. You gave me these powers. Have fun thinking about that while you rot away in this cell that you helped me build. Bye Felicia." Cisco walked away feeling triumphant for the first time in a long time.

* * *

Eobard had been sitting in the cramped cell of hours waiting for The Flash to come and speak to him, and he was not disappointed when he saw a figure walk into the room after his visit from Cisco Ramon. The Flash was silent, and Eobard knew that he would be the first to speak.

"I was obsessed with you," Eobard began softly. "For so long, I wanted to be The Flash. I spent years figuring out how you came to be. Duplicated the reaction… and it worked," Eobard chuckled darkly. "I became like you."

"Right, so what happened?"

"This ability to travel through time revealed a truth. My fate was to become your greatest enemy. I was never going to be The Flash, so I became the reverse of everything that you were. The more people you saved, the more you were loved, the more I had to take from you."

"That is why you killed my mother? That's why you ruined my life? Because you couldn't be me?" Barry yelled. His fists were clenched by his sides and he wanted nothing more than to open that cell and kill the man before him.

"I became better than you! I am the one thing you cannot stop, Flash!"

"No, no, no. Not anymore. Our race is over. And you lost."

"I learned what time period you're from, Flash. And one day soon, I'll learn your name."

Before Barry could comment further, Caitlin had called him on the comm.

"We need you in the cortex now!"

He rushed down there in a second flat to see Caitlin and Sophia struggling to keep Cisco still on the bed in the med bay. Harry was running to the other side of the room to grab a needle for Sophia while the two girls held Cisco down who was convulsing on the bed.

"What's happening?" Barry asked in a panic.

"He's experiencing an uncontrollable amount of electrical energy in his brain, putting him in a prolonged state of chronic seizing."

"What?"

"He's having a seizure," Sophia said as she shoved a piece of foam between Cisco's teeth to ensure that if he did bite down, it would be on the foam and not his tongue.

"Can you stop it?"

"I don't know," Caitlin said, unsure of what to do next.

"We need to let him ride through most of the seizure, but if his convulsions don't stop in the next thirty seconds then we can try to sedate him," Sophia said.

"Hold him down!" Sophia ordered and Barry came by the other side of the bed to help Caitlin hold down Cisco's legs that were thrashing everywhere.

"Sedate him, now!" Harry said, taking over for Sophia. She plucked the needle out of his hand, making quick work of ripping off the plastic packaging before drawing up some benzodiazepine. She moved, pulling up Cisco's sleeve on his arm before injecting the needle into the muscle of his upper arm.

"What did you give him?"

"Benzodiazepine, it should work in keeping him sedated."

A few seconds later, Cisco's body began to relax, the drug taking effect swiftly. His body went limp, and they released their hold on him, taking a moment to gather themselves.

"Finally."

Sophia had only given him enough of the drug to relax his muscles and keep him sedate, but not unconscious. A few minutes later Cisco's eyes flew open and he tried to sit up in the bed, gasping for air.

"Oh! What? What was that? What the hell is going on? Where the hell am I?" Cisco's mouth was running, questions pouring out faster than they could be answered.

"Cisco!"

"It's the timeline," Harry said.

"What? What are you talking about?" Barry asked.

"When you… when you captured Reverse-Flash, we ruptured the timeline. That's what this is… All the blood and the seizures and that and all… Cisco is being affected to... by the changes in the timeline. The changes to the past or the changes to the present. This is what this is."

"We need to do something. We need to do it fast."

"Like what?"

"We need to restore the timeline," Harry conceded. "Barry, you need to get Reverse-Flash and send him back to the future as quickly as possible."

"What are you out of your mind?" Barry exclaimed.

"Barry," Sophia said.

"I just caught him! You want me to let him go?"

"Barry, keeping him here is killing Cisco, if it's the only way we can save our friend, then we have to do it," Sophia told him.

"I can't."

"Shit," Sophia cursed, shaking her head. "I destroyed the tachyon drive in the speed machine when I saved Dr. McGee. It's not going to work, it won't be able to reach the speed necessary to send him back." She looked down at Cisco who was lying in the bed and felt guilty. She had ruined his chances of survival with her rash behaviour.

"It doesn't matter," Harry said. "You can send him back," He said, turning to Barry.

"What?"

"Your speed coupled with Thawne's, that'll be enough to catapult him through the time continuum. You can do it. You're the only one who can do it, Barry."

"All right, let's do it. For Cisco," Barry agreed. He didn't want it to come to this, but if he had to do this to save his best friends life, then he would sacrifice it.

"For Cisco."

* * *

"Time to send you home," The Flash announced as he walked into the room, ready to release the cell door that kept The Reverse-Flash contained.

"The time paradox," Eobard assumed. He wasn't sure if it would come to that, but he was glad, because this was his only way out.

"Yeah."

"You've all messed with something you don't understand," The Reverse-Flash said.

"Can you do me a favour and just shut up?" This caused Eobard to laugh which made Barry want to just punch him til he passed out, but he took a deep breath and kept his anger under control.

"And how exactly are you going to send me home?"

"Don't worry about it."

"You fixed Dr. McGee's tachyon device?" Eobard inquired. "That other friend of yours did quite the job on destroying it to pieces. I must say that I was impressed. It's funny I haven't seen her around in my time. Guess she must have died," Eobard said, enjoying the rise he got out of The Flash when he spoke these words.

"No, I came up with a different method."

"Is that so?"

"Uh-huh."

"Who are you?"

"No one of consequence."

"No. I doubt that."

Barry rolled his eyes at that comment, moving to press the button on the side of the computer, releasing Eobard from his cell. Cautiously, Eobard took a step out of his cell, careful not to make any wrong moves. He knew that without Dr. McGee's device, the only way he would be getting back was to trust The Flash.

"I win again, Flash." Eobard grinned manically. It was truly a feeling like no other to watch The Flash squirm in his red boots at the very thought of helping his enemy.

"All you have to do is provide him with enough momentum to get him past the space-time barrier," Harry spoke into the comm.

"All right."

Eobard followed The Flash to the opening of the accelerator where they would both be running around in order to send him back to the future. Both of them had their hoods up, and they were about to run when Barry hesitated and for a moment there, he couldn't go through with it. He couldn't do it. Not until Harry spoke to him once again.

"Hey, listen to me. Thawne knows about you. Right here, right now. This is where he learns about you, all of you. Its how he knows about Star Labs, how he knows about me, and the Harrison wells from this Earth. And there's nothing I can do about it." Harry let out a heavy sigh. "There's nothing you can do about it. This is his origin story, and it's going to happen no matter what you do. But right here, right now, you can send him back to his time. You can save your friend. You can save Cisco and then move on with your life. This could be a good thing. You can finally let go of him."

"I could throw him three centuries from now. He'll always be a part of me," Barry said to Harry through his mic. He let out a huff of air before walking towards Eobard.

"Time to send you back where you belong," The Flash said.

"We'll meet again soon, Flash." Those were his final words before he darted into the particle accelerator, zooming around, the red lightning trailing behind him.

"I know. And every time, I'll be ready for you." Barry then took a leap, and before he knew it, Eobard was gone, leaving them once and for all.

Barry closed his eyes for a moment before going back upstairs, taking comfort in the arms of Sophia as he tried to forget about the pain that Eobard had caused him, and how his own actions were the cause of it.

* * *

Wally was standing in front of the West household with his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans, as he tapped his foot nervously, waiting for Iris to answer the door. He had thought about what she had said, and he knew that she was right. He was being stubborn, and though in his own way, he thought he was doing the right thing, he realised that he wasn't. He really wasn't and he owed her for helping him.

"Wally, Hi," Iris greeted.

"Hey."

"Um, do you want to come in?" Iris asked, opening the door a bit more.

"No, I can't stay, I just… I wanted to tell you that I'm gonna take your advice and go see my mom."

"Okay."

"Iris, I was… I was wondering if you would come with me."

"Yeah, I would love that." Iris smiled.

"Yeah?"

"Okay. Just let me grab my jacket."

And that night, the residents of Central City had all gone to bed with their hearts lighter, and their heads clear, ready to keep playing the game of life that they had been thrown. Because whatever happened, they had each other, their families, their friends, their loved ones, and if they had those, then it was enough.

* * *

 **A/N –**

 **This chapter was a monster to write. There was just so much involved yet so little time. Sorry for the late posting, I was on holiday and the Wi-Fi was terrible. But now, you guys get to enjoy an extra long chapter. I hope the next chapter will be out in 2 weeks. I'm still writing it atm, so let's hope I can get it finished soon!**

 **Reviews:**

 **Reyna Ramirez: Here's that update you've been waiting for.**

 **ImsebastianstanButter: Thank you so much for your review, and awesome username btw.**

 **Riala: Thank you for being my 150** **th** **reviewer! I'm so glad you love Sophia's character. I wanted to make her a strong female character that people could look up to, and I wanted it to be diverse as well that's why she's half Chinese/ half American. Oh yeah we'll have to wait and see when I can get up to s3. I'm just trying to finish this one first. There's just so much going on right now, but yeah, let's get this one done. It's funny that you mentioned Hal because he was mentioned in this chapter, albeit it was quite sad, but also remember this is just in this Earth, so he's definitely kicking on E-2.**

 **Lara-Cat: Thank you for the review, hope you enjoy this one.**

 **Guest: Thank you, it means the world to me, honestly. Hope you enjoyed their reaction to Eobard being back!**

 **Kylolover16: Thank you heaps, hope you continue to enjoy it.**

 **LMarie99: LOVE LOVE LOVED your review. It made me laugh and smile, so thank you.**

 **RHatch89: Thanks dude.**

 **Til next time.**

 **Heroherondale. X**


	15. Fast Lane

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Harrison Wells wondered if committing one evil act, one that perhaps would be considered almost a sin in order to protect his only child was acceptable. Weeks had gone by and his efforts to save his daughter had all dwindled down into failures. He knew that he couldn't fail her. Harry knew that whatever happened next, he needed to do it to save Jesse, and that's what was so painful about it. She was all that he had left. After the passing of his beautiful wife, all he was left with was their daughter, their legacy. It was his job, his fatherly duty to protect that legacy, to ensure that his own flesh and bone survived.

It tore his heart into pieces.

It felt as though someone had attacked him with a scalpel, constantly cutting at his skin, jabbing through his chest, the metal slicing through the very organ that kept him alive, the very place that held all his love for his daughter. Without her, there was no life to live. Without her, he was nothing. He needed Jesse by his side.

And so, as he stood there in the dark slums of Central City, his black boots scuffing against the wet concrete, he knew he had already made his decision. When his eyes caught a flash of blue lightning, he closed them for a moment to prepare himself for what would happen next. He blinked once, his eyes adjusting to the dim light, his vision filled with the dark image of Zoom standing before him.

"It is time to decide, in return for your daughter's life," Zoom spoke, bringing Harry from his dark thoughts.

Harry took a deep breath before nodding, having a feeling he would regret the words that tumbled from his lips next.

"I will help you steal The Flash's speed."

* * *

Laughter and conversation ensued over Chinese take-out, beers and some sider for Wally who was joining the West family for dinner that night.

"I didn't think about how many crazy things police see," Wally mused.

"And can't unsee." Joe laughed.

"You always wanted to be a cop?" Wally asked Joe.

"Yeah, my dad was one. He was my hero, so I never thought of being anything else."

"What about you?" Iris asked.

"No, I wanted to be an astronaut," Wally said.

"Wait, that's what Barry wanted to be," Iris chimed in, a bright smile on her face.

"Really?"

"Probably not for the same reasons." Iris shrugged.

"Going into space is like the fastest a human being can go, so it was either an astronaut, or, like, have you heard of scramjets?" Wally asked, getting excited as he explained it.

"Mm-mm."

"Okay, they're like supersonic on oxygen, dude. Its nuts," Wally breathed out, a grin on his face just thinking about it. Moving fast, moving at speeds like that, it was a dream of his.

"You're right. Not the same reason as Barry." Wally felt a bit awkward every time Barry's name came up. He felt like he had sort of been replaced by the white kid down the block when he discovered that Barry had lived with them after the drama in his childhood. He felt bad for what happened to Barry, but there was a sliver of resentment he held towards the CSI knowing that he had been the perfect son for Joe, making him feel hopeless if anything. But Wally tried to get rid of those thoughts. He knew that Joe had invited him over for this family dinner after his mom had passed away the previous week because he wanted to get to know him better, and he was doing his best. They were all he had left in terms of family, and he was going to do his best to hold onto them.

"You're really all about the speed, huh?" Joe asked.

"Yeah, I mean, it's what I love," Wally grinned, picking up his glass of water and taking a large gulp. He nearly choked on the water when Iris spoke up next.

"Is that why you're still drag racing?" Wally fell silent at the accusation. "You are, aren't you? Isn't that a little dangerous?"

"Yeah, for the people that race against me. Sure is. Look, thanks for the hang, but i got to go," Wally said, standing up from the table and putting his jacket on. He was ready to become a family with them, but the judgement that was sitting in the air after Iris's words was not something he could handle right now, especially after the fragile state he had been in since his mother's passing.

"It's early. Don't leave yet," Joe pleaded, sending a glare towards Iris who had evidently made things tense between them.

"No, I got some stuff to do. I'll see you later." Wally waved goodbye and was out the door before Joe could protest further.

"Why'd you do that?" Joe questioned.

"Thanks for the hang? Is he your son or age-inappropriate buddy?" Iris scolded.

"Look, I know the dynamic is weird," Joe confessed. "I'm just trying to figure it out." It was confusing as hell for him, and he was doing his best to seem open to Wally being in their family, but without treating him like his son. He hadn't been there for twenty years and it didn't feel right to be that overprotective parent just yet. He needed to take things slow, one step at a time.

"From my perspective, it seems like you're ignoring something that could, oh, I don't know, get Wally killed," Iris remarked sarcastically as she took a sip of her red wine.

"The fact that Wally even wants to get to know me is the big win here, so in the future could you try not chasing him out of the house?" Joe asked.

"Look, Dad, I'll play along if that's what you want, but which you exactly are you trying to get him to know? Because the person that I saw tonight, I do not recognise that dad."

* * *

"Journal Entry 1-14, Turtle's brain," Harry spoke aloud after pressing a button on the inside of his watch. "So, what I learned from Turtle's brain matter and the Reverse-Flash, as it turns out, has allowed me to complete a device that when installed inside The Flash's suit, will let me harness his speed, so that the next time he taps into the Speed force…" Harrys sighed. He had already killed a man to save his daughter, and now he was ruining the life of his friend by stealing his powers. "I could begin… collection. I wish there were another way, but there's not."

He stopped recording when he heard footsteps approaching and moved quickly to act natural.

"Oh, hey."

"Hey," Barry greeted with a welcoming smile that annoyed Harry to no end. He couldn't understand how the boy was always so cheerful, then again, he didn't have someone's life hanging resting on his shoulders.

"You're here late."

"As are you. Shouldn't you be out, doing whatever it is that 26 year olds do on a Thursday night?" Harry asked Barry.

"Well that was the plan, but Sophia got called in to cover a shift in theatres for the neuro ward and she's been dying to get into surgery after working on the wards for so long, so that's left me all alone, with nothing to do," Barry said. "So, I thought I would tackle the breach problem. See if I could figure out how to close them. Looks like you had the same idea," Barry said as he took a proper look at Harry's desk that was covered in scientific journals and textbooks alike.

"Right." Harry scratched the back of his neck before clearing his throat. "I work better alone."

"Oh, no, haven't you heard the expression "two heads are better than one"?" Barry asked.

"No." Harry pursed his lips. "Must be an Earth-1 thing."

"You understand, for me, that my Earth is Earth-1?"

"Yeah. Your Earth has yet to create CFL quark matter, and so it would take you too long to catch up on the science haul. I can do it by myself," Harry insisted, picking up his cup of coffee and taking a large gulp. If he was being honest, he hadn't slept in days, and the only thing keeping him going at this point was the copious amounts of caffeine he had been practically inhaling, but even his body was being tolerant to it over time.

"This science?" Barry asked, pointing to the mountain of textbooks piled on Harry's desk.

"Yes, that science."

"Watch this," Barry smirked. He stood in front of the table and started to speed read the texts, flipping through the entirety of a book in less than twenty seconds, all of the information absorbing into his brain as he read it. Though this method wouldn't allow him to retain the information for much longer, he would still have a good understanding of what he was doing for the next half hour.

"That's annoying."

"Wow," Barry gasped as he finished reading. "I'm all caught up for the next, like, 30 minutes, give or take. Looks like I missed one though."

"All right, you can assist, but I'm in charge."

"Yeah, you're in charge."

* * *

Iris West strutted down the literal runway on the dark back roads of Central City that were only lit with the headlights of modified streamline racing cars that were quite literally the definition of illegal. The black high heeled boots she wore clacked against the ground with each step she took, and the way her curves were hugged by the slim black dress she wore was enough to gain more than a few lustful glances and even a few whistles as she walked on by.

She was a woman on a mission. If her father wasn't going to stop Wally from racing, from risking his life, then she would.

She could almost see the moment of irritation burn up in Wally's eyes when their gaze met. She watched his jaw clench, and his hands form fists by his side. He was clearly not pleased to see his sister.

"Hey," Iris greeted, crossing her arms as she came to lean up against Wally's car.

"What the hell are you doing here aside from trying to send me to therapy?" Wally said, his words clearly a reference to the steamy outfit she was wearing, causing him to cringe every time a wolf whistle came her way. He had never felt this overprotective brother thing towards Iris until now, and it confused him to no end. He glared at one of the other drivers who was eyeing up Iris before sending that glare at the girl before him.

"I told you, I did some research." Iris smiled. "I thought it would be a good idea for a story for the paper, plus I thought this would be a great way for us to really get to know each other. I mean, I want to know what's so great about this that you can't let go, _bro_ ," Iris smirked. He had obviously understood her sarcasm as he rolled his eyes in response.

"No one here is eager to get their picture in the paper, you got me?"

"And which part of the paper?"

Wally sighed heavily.

"The front where they put the mugshots or in the back in the obituary section?" Iris snapped.

"Yo, why don't you just take a page out of your dad's book? Let me do what I'm gonna do, okay? I don't need a big sister."

"I know, you're gonna need an undertaker."

"Last race of the night, people," The announcer spoke through a mic. "Our reigning champ, Tail Lights."

The crowd cheered and applauded as Wally walked away from Iris, moving to the other side of his car, jumping through the window into his front seat, buckling up into place.

"Oh."

"What?"

"No good luck?"

Wally smirked, twisting the key in the ignition, the car engine roaring to life as he pressed down on the breaks, revving the car a bit, getting the camera excited.

* * *

When Barry tumbled home that night, his brain exhausted after stretching himself so far just to keep up with Harry, he was ready to get a good night's sleep. He changed into his PJs and was about to flop on the bed and go to sleep when he noticed Sophia had come home from work and she was already sleeping, but in his spot, lay Chewie, her adorable and loveable cat. But in that moment, Barry just pouted, wondering where he would move the cat. He knew that if he did, that Chewie wouldn't sleep for the rest of the night, but instead meow for food or something rather, giving him a restless sleep.

He sighed and was about to give up and just go sleep on the couch when Sophia blinked her eyes open, her brown orbs darting to the clock on their bedside table.

"You're home late," Sophia said, her voice groggy with sleep.

"I was at Star Labs with Harry, trying to solve this whole breacher thing," Barry explained.

"Mm-hmm, why don't you come to bed?" She asked, sitting up. "It's lonely without you." She smiled at him. She still couldn't believe that they were so… domestic. It was honestly a dream come true, and she wouldn't change a thing.

"Um, someone's kinda taken my spot," Barry laughed softly as he saw Sophia peek over at her little furry friend snoozing away on her boyfriend's side of the bed.

"I'll move her." She quickly picked her up and moved her onto the cat bed just outside the room, Chewie sleeping through the movement. Barry watched in amazement, wanting to laugh at how insane it was. If he had been the one to move her, he was sure that the cat would have sprung awake, but Sophia's soft and calming touch wasn't something to be surprised about.

Soon they were cuddled up in bed with each other's arms holding onto one another firmly, taking comfort in the warmth and love that radiated between the two. Sophia pressed a kiss to Barry's neck before nuzzling her head right above his heart on his chest, the steady thump making her feel safe and carefree. Barry fell asleep with a smile on his face, and the two allowed themselves to fall into a deep slumber, leaving their worries running through the city, and their minds clear for the night.

* * *

The CCPD was chaotic that morning with news of a new Meta-Human on the loose. The man was described to have powers that were _tar_ related, dragging Barry from the comfortable confines of his lab out onto the road to investigate.

Barry figured that whoever it was must have been affected by the particle accelerator, and judging by the location of the crime, as well as the fact that it used to be an old site of Roofing Tar Industries, he was sure that it must have been a worker, or someone hanging in the area at the time of the particle accelerator explosion, thus explaining their abilities.

He had a perfect sleep, only to be woken by Joe calling him into work early because of this. They had found three dead bodies at the site, all of them either completely covered in tar, or some partially melted by it. It was a gruesome sight, but Barry didn't feel too squeamish, having gotten used to crime scenes before, but the new intern that had replaced Patty was clearly having issues.

It had come to his knowledge that Patty had moved on from Central City to pursue her studies of forensics at college, and though Barry was sad that they couldn't say goodbye before she had left, he was glad that she was following her dream. Though this news did leave Joe in the dumps, having now lost another one of his partners, but he was just glad that this one was leaving on good terms.

Barry was still on site, investigating and deducting the scene when Joe came up to him.

"Bar, you good?"

"Yeah."

"What do we got?" Joe asked.

"Victim's name is Daniel Burge. Not exactly a boy scout, but managed to buy this garage two years ago."

"It looks like he was dipped in a volcano," Joe said as he tilted his head to get a better look. The bottom half of Daniel's body was covered in hard and cold tar, making it appear that way. This was definitely one of those _can't unsee_ moments that Joe had been referring to last night.

"Oh, yeah. Actually, the depth and uniformity of the burn pattern is something you would see if the body was covered in something like lava, but with a lower burn temp and an added chemical characteristic," Barry explained, losing Joe completely with all the scientific jargon.

"The fire investigator didn't find a secondary accelerant." Or at least Barry had thought he had lost Joe. He threw him a smile at this.

"Yeah, he probably wouldn't with a meta," Barry pointed out and Joe nodded in agreement.

"All right, I'm gonna take a sample back to Star Labs, have Cisco run some tests."

"Good, I'm gonna go meet Iris for lunch. She wants to talk to me about Wally."

"Yeah, how's that going, you and him?" Barry asked.

"Great. Well, good. I don't know, baby steps. I'm trying to give him space. I mean, he just lost his mom. Just met me and his sister. He's got a lot on his plate," Joe said. It had only been a week ago that they had all gone to visit Francine together, only to have her pass away the next morning. The doctors and nurses had assured them that she had been at peace when she had passed away, that she wasn't in pain, but it still hurt them. The funeral had been small and quaint, and Barry and Sophia had attended in support for them.

Joe didn't want to take over Wally's life, especially when he was at a weak point with his mother dying, so he was doing his best to give him space, to allow him to heal and move on.

"Yeah, he just found the best dad he could've wished for," Barry said. It was true, Joe was the best father that he could have asked for in replacement for his own. They may not have been flesh and blood, but he treated him like that. Joe had taken care of him and brought him up through his teen years, which were some of the hardest years of his life, especially with his own father in jail, and his mother dead.

"Oh, you say that now, but you didn't always think that."

" _Well_ , you were pretty strict."

"That's for sure." The two men laughed, their eyes crinkling with mirth.

"But strict isn't always a bad thing, especially when you know it's coming from love."

"Thanks Barr, I'll talk to you later."

* * *

Sophia yawned and blinked her eyes open trying to keep herself awake. She had indeed gotten enough sleep last night, but she had forgotten to eat breakfast before she flew to Star Labs and being hungry made her tired.

"Okay, now click here. Bam, that's my app," Cisco explained with glee.

"Wow, that's actually really cool," Sophia said, now paying closer attention to what Cisco was showing her.

"The app just went live," Cisco said. "So, you can sync up all social media postings about meta-human activity. Somebody sees something cray in Central City, I get an alert about it."

"Man, you have too much time on your hands," Barry laughed from where he was lounging in the cortex.

"Oh, I thought you were gonna say it was cool. Your girlfriend thinks it's cool. Don't you think it's cool, Sophia?" Cisco asked as he turned to looks at the heroine.

"I do think I just said it was cool not even a minute ago, Cisco," Sophia laughed, her lips quirking into a smile.

"Hey, Harry," Cisco called over to the gentleman who was sitting at his desk quietly, tinkering with a small device that sat beside his surface tablet.

"Wait, so if that app gives you eyes and ears all over the city, then why don't you use it to find the next Ms. Right?"

They all paused, Sophia sending Barry a funny look.

"Did I just make the meta-human Tinder?" Cisco asked, a look of panic washing over his face. "Mm-hmm. Nope, not starting that fetish," He groaned audibly.

"I think Barry and I already got that one covered," Sophia giggled to herself, not realising that the others heard as well. She bit her lip in amusement, her cheeks flushing red at the comment as she dared to look over at her boyfriend.

Barry caught her words and sent her a flirtatious wink, both of them bursting out into laughter. He felt as though life was returning to normal again. They were dealing with meta-humans yes, but they hadn't dealt with Zoom in a while, and it was a nice break from the drama and fear the black speedster had brought with him from Earth-2.

* * *

"Hey, baby," Joe greeted Iris. He had decided to come down and visit her at work on his lunch break after not seeing her for the last day or so due to their busy work schedules.

"Hey," Iris said, glancing up at her father before looking back down at her computer, focusing on the layout of her new story.

"You look like you're working hard," Joe commented.

"I am. I'm researching a story," Iris said, turning to face him. "One that you'll find interesting actually."

"Mm."

"This is Curran Roberts," Iris said, scrolling up on the screen and showing him the picture of the young man before and after the accident. "After his head went through the windshield of his hot rod, he was in a coma for six months." She then double clicked, another image popping up on screen. "This kid, he died. He wrapped his car around a tree at 110 miles per hour. They were all street races, Dad, and Wally could be the next one."

"What do you want me to do, Iris, lock him up?"

"Or stop the races."

"Look, I learned a long time ago, you can't stop your kids from being who they are."

"Really? Why don't you want to be his parent, Dad? What are you so afraid of?"

"All right, you're right. I'm afraid," Joe admitted. "I'm afraid he'll reject me, us. Like the last time I confronted him about the races, it didn't go so well, remember. And I need it to go well with Wally. I mean, after all these years lost, I want him in our lives, but let me get him to trust me, then I can do something about it."

"Okay."

* * *

Barry sighed deeply and loudly, causing both Sophia and Harry to look over at him.

"What's the matter?" Sophia was surprised when Harry spoke first.

"Um, not… I can't remember, is the helicity of a particle left-handed if its spin and motion is the same, or opposite?"

"It's…"

"No, hold on, I got it." Barry ran over to the table and then back to his seat, a book now in hand. He flipped the pages using his super speed. His eyes ran back and forth on the pages as he read, practically downloading all the information in a few seconds.

"Opposite, I knew that." Barry smiled, proud that he figured it out himself.

"You know that's really annoying?" Harry said dully.

"You get used to it." Sophia shrugged. Over time she had become accustomed to his super speed, having papers and things flying around their apartment before they were put back into place in the blink of an eye. It was certainly handy when there were chores that needed to be done around the house. Barry was able to do most of her weekly cleaning in the span of five minutes.

"Uh, it's, you know, just got to," Barry clicked his tongue, bringing his finger up to tap is temple, "Recharge the old short-term every once in a while."

Sophia laughed at Barry's adorable manner, but her smile quickly dropped when she saw him sigh, his expression melting in a moment's notice. She could see that something was wrong and was about to question it when he spoke, turning to Harry.

"You know, this feels like old times," Barry said softly.

"Okay." Harry wasn't sure how to respond. On one hand, he wanted to be friends with Barry, this team had become a family of sorts for him, but on the other hand, he didn't want to make things harder on his consciousness, knowing what he had to do next.

"Yeah, I mean, I know, obviously, this is our first time working together, but I am learning a lot from you. The last Wells was a real mentor. He believed that I could do anything. Made me believe it."

Sophia's eyes then moved to Harry's form, watching his shoulders tense as Barry continued the praise.

"He opened up whole new worlds to me. Guess he really was like another father almost."

"Stop it, all right?" Harry snapped.

"What?" Barry furrowed his brows.

"I did not ask for your help, okay? I certainly did not ask to be your mentor."

"Okay, relax," Sophia said noticing that Harry was starting to get agitated.

"I was just talking about…" Barry was trying to explain, but Harry was having none of it and began lashing out.

"Hey, you know what? I have a kid already. I don't need another one, so scram. Let me finish this by myself."

"All right," Barry left the room in a blink of an eye, anger and embarrassment coursing through him.

Sophia glared at Harry, standing up and walking over to his desk, staring down at him until he looked up. Her fists were clenched by her side and she wanted nothing more than to yell at Harry in the very same way he had at Barry only a moment ago. She could feel the anger building up in her and she was sure if she wasn't so good at containing her emotions that she would have glowing eyes appear soon.

"Yes?"

"Are you serious? God, that was low, Harry. You didn't have to bite his head off. I'm sure your daughter wouldn't be proud of what you just did," Sophia berated, leaving the room in a rush.

* * *

Sophia had searched all of the usual hiding places but she wasn't able to find Barry at any. She flew around the city, up high enough in the sky to have a bird's eye view. It was only then that she was able to get a view of The Flash speeding up and down the streets of Central City. She wanted to comfort him, to let him know that he wasn't at fault for Harry's outburst, but she also figured that Barry probably needed some space.

She decided to head back to Star Labs to work in the cortex with Caitlin and Cisco. She was sure that Harry would be holed up in his lab, and she hoped that it stayed that way.

"Hey, I ran your crime scene samples six ways from Sunday."

"What's wrong with you?"

"I was… uh, nothing. What's up?"

"Two things, very strange. One, definitely meta-human cells in the oil," Caitlin said, "And two, he didn't die from his burns. It was suffocation."

"Suffocation?"

"That makes sense actually. The burns indicated that the body was covered in something. Cross-referencing O2 levels in the organic matter, I found a direct match to animals trapped and preserved in asphalt seep. The guy was fossilized," Barry explained.

"Whoa. So whoever killed him is like a walking…"

"Tar pit," Sophia said, beating Cisco to it, the words tumbling out of his mouth a second too late.

"Too slow," Sophia teased, sending wink his way, receiving an eye roll in response.

"So, he's basically drowning them in tar."

"God, that's a horror show."

"Why did he target Daniel Burge?"

A beeping sound alerted, a ringtone following it. Sophia's brows furrowed as she listened to the familiar sound. She turned to face Cisco, raising a brow.

"Isn't that your meta-human tinder app going off?" Sophia asked.

"It certainly is. There's an attack in progress." Cisco opened the app up on screen, bringing up a map along with the video feed. "6th and Bell, downtown."

"You got this?" Sophia asked and Barry nodded. She walked over to him, leaning up and giving him a kiss on the cheek. They didn't need to share words for him to understand why. She knew that fighting a Meta would give him a chance to let off some steam after his argument with Harry, and her token of affection was her silent way of letting him know that she was there to support him.

"Remember me, Clay?" Tar Pit questioned, a menacing look on his face as he cornered his former co-worker and partner in crime.

"We killed you," Clay breathed out, unable to hide his shock when he realised who it was standing before him.

"I bet right now you're not thinking…"

"Yo, are you guys seeing this?" Barry asked as he arrived at the scene. Tar was sprouting from the Meta's hands, shooting out towards Clay who quickly dodged the hit.

"Oh, yeah, we see it," Cisco said through the comm. Sophia and Caitlin were standing behind him at the desk, watching the live video feed from both camera's in the area as well as the livestream footage from witnesses.

"All right, any ideas?" Barry asked.

"Viscosity of asphalt lowers as the temperature lowers."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, and it hardens."

"Hey, find a way to cool him down," Cisco mentioned as Barry moved to the left, missing a blob of tar that was headed his way. He had quickly picked up and dropped off Clay a quarter mile back, leaving him safe, but a now very angry Meta on the loose and after The Flash's head for ruining his plans.

"Hey, Barbeque!" The Flash yelled out, gaining his attention once more. Barry had spotted a fire hydrant nearby and ran in front of it. "Hit me with your best shot." Just like he had planned, Tar Pit threw a strong blast towards him, but as he moved out of the way, it hit the fire hydrant, water gushing out as it flooded the area, water sprouting in all directions, soaking Tar Pit in cold water.

"Oh yeah!"

"Team Flash!" There were cheers in the cortex, but there in the corner stood Harry with a vial that was now glowing and buzzing with electrical energy, energy that he had just stolen from The Flash. He left the room, walking back to his labs, whispering to himself as he looked at the prize in his hands.

"You're coming home, Jesse. You're coming home."

* * *

"All right, so Tar Pit…"

"Tar Pit, that's what we're calling him?"

"That's right."

"Tar Pit was after one Clay Stanley. Stanley as it turns out, is a suspected hit man that the CCPD has been trying to track for a while, but they haven't been able to make anything stick."

Sophia laughed at the pun.

"No pun intended."

"Do we know why he was attacked?" Sophia asked. She wondered if they knew why, it would clear things up a bit more.

Barry shook his head. "Uh, Stanley wouldn't answer any of my questions. He was pretty scared."

"When a hit man is scared, you know something is wrong," Sophia said with a wary tone. Though Barry had succeeded in bringing down Tar Pit's powers and defences, he hadn't been able to catch him just yet.

"Hey, did you get an ID on our meta-human?"

"Yeah, I'm running it through five different facial recognition systems right now, so it should take a minute," Cisco said, glaring at his computer screen. It usually didn't take this long and he was beginning to feel a bit embarrassed as everyone waited for his answer.

The computer beeped and he let out a sigh of relief. "And there it is. Who's the best hacker in the world, people?"

"Felicity Smoak," The three youngsters of the group said simultaneously, grinning at each other when Cisco groaned audibly.

"What is wrong with you guys?" Cisco scoffed. "This is not true friendship."

"Shhh." Sophia hushed as she focused on the screen. "Our Meta's name is Joseph Monteleone."

"Oh, he looks friendly," Cisco commented as Joseph's mug shot came up.

"Monteleone was reported missing," Sophia said, rolling her eyes when she came across the next line. "Surprise, surprise, the night of the particle accelerator explosion."

"And what's the connection between Monteleone and the two victims?" Caitlin asked.

"I'll call Joe. Have him run background checks on all three guys," Barry explained.

"Okay, I'm gonna run some tests on the tar samples. See if I can find his weakness."

"Hey, are you feeling okay?" Cisco asked Barry, causing Sophia to turn and look at Barry. Her eyes quickly ran over his form and she noted that other than a bit of darkness underneath his eyes that indicated a lack of sleep, he looked normal.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You're going slower than normal. You clocked in at 1,450 miles an hour."

"But, I'm sorry, how fast do I usually run?" Barry asked.

"1, 500. Are you getting enough to eat?" Cisco asked, worried about Barry.

"Yes, yeah, dude, I'm fine, seriously."

"Fast is fast, right?"

"See you later."

"You need a lift?" Barry asked Sophia.

"No, I'm staying here. I've got the day off," She said. "You sure you're feeling alright?" She asked softly, taking a step toward him. She brought her hand up to his face, placing the back of her palm against his forehead. She noted it felt a bit warm, but Barry was known for being a walking heater due to his super speed.

"I'm fine, sweetheart. I'll catch you later then," Barry said, smiling down at her. He placed a quick kiss on her lips, savouring the taste for a moment. He pulled back and admired the blush on her cheeks before he left.

* * *

"Clark Bronwen?" Iris asked as she walked into the dim light office she was directed into. It was based behind a mechanics garage downtown and it was the definition of shady.

"Who's asking?" When Iris stepped closer to the desk, a look of recognition crossed the Bronwen's face. "You're that chick who was hanging around Tail Lights?"

"I'm a reporter for CCPN. I want you to stop holding the races," Iris demanded.

"Sweetheart, unless you can find me another way to make five grand a night, it ain't gonna happen."

"Here's a preview of the expose that I am writing," Iris spoke daringly, throwing the file down on his desk. "You are the start of the piece. I had a little chat with some of your previous associates and dug up some revealing details about you. Like the gambling rings you run or the thefts you've been involved with. I'm sure the CCPD will be interested in this one."

"You're forgetting something in here," Bronwen said menacingly. "Aggravated assault."

Iris froze at his words and did her best to keep her game face on.

"You think you're the only one that can play this game?" He scoffed. This girl was way in over her head and he would show her exactly what he was capable of. "I could find out where you live, what you eat, when you sleep, every little detail about your life. Hmm? Publish the trash, we'll see what happens to you, hmm?"

"This entire conversation is being recorded and sent to CCPN. If you or any of your people lay a hand on me, my colleagues will send this to the cops immediately," Iris said as she held up her phone, showing him exactly what she was doing.

"Get out of my office."

Iris left there quickly, rushing out of there and back to somewhere very public and open. She walked into Jitters not long after, grabbing a coffee to cool her down and give her a feeling of normalcy. Just when she had calmed down, she saw a face she hadn't been expecting.

"You got a death wish?" Wally was seething.

"You are not the first person to accuse me of that, so maybe."

"Going down there, threatening them? These people, Iris, they live in the dark. They're cockroaches, expect they don't scatter when someone turns on the lights. They're looking to bite."

"If they are so dangerous, Wally, then why are you in so deep with them?" Iris questioned.

"I'm not," He defended. "I can stop when I want."

"So why don't you?" She challenged. "You said that you were only street racing to earn money for Francine's medical bills. Well, there are no more medical bills anymore, so why are you still doing it?" Iris asked.

When she was met with silence she let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through her hair before placing her hands gently on the table in front of her. "Look, I am not going to pretend that Francine meant to me what she did to you, but in the short time that I got to spend with her, I saw what kind of person she had become. She was smart and kind and loving, so I can't even imagine how much you miss her."

"You don't know what I'm feeling."

"Well, let me tell you how I feel. I know that you were trying really hard to convince everyone that you were a badass, but I know that you're a good kid, Wally. And you didn't get that way raising yourself. You had a single mother who cared for you, so my dad and I care whether you wrap yourself around a tree or get shot by one of these gangsters. Having someone care about your well-being can being cannot be a new sensation for you."

"Show up there again, and I won't be able to protect you."

Iris watched hopelessly as Wally walked away.

* * *

"Just going over some research," Barry said in response to the glare that Harry had sent his way the moment he stepped into the lab. He had debated about coming back or not, but in the end he wasn't going to let Harry dictate what he did or did not do.

"Ten-year old determination," Harry muttered, his lips quirking at the memory.

"What?" Barry asked, confused.

"When my daughter was ten she… her Science teacher had her do a project, you know, and this project… I spent every waking hour tinkering and perfecting her solar-powered oven. Anyway, ten-year-old determination, you remind me of her," Harry sighed, a smile on his lips. But there was a gaping hole in his chest at the thought of his daughter. It was another moment of realisation. A moment where he knew that he could go to the ends of the Earth to save his daughter, even if that meant betraying the people that had become his new family.

"Did you scold her as well?" Barry asked with snark. But the mention of Harry's daughter had put things into perspective.

"Yes."

"Look, I know that this has been hard for you, but you're not in it alone."

"Yes I am. Hell yes, I am. I… as much as you all want me to be a part of your team, that's never going to happen. I'm always going to be a father first. And one day, Zoom is gonna make me choose between you and my daughter, and every time, unblinkingly, unflinchingly, I would choose my daughter. I will betray you."

"That's binary thinking. It doesn't have to be either-or."

"Life is either-or… yes or no, black or white, love or hate… from the dawn of time to this moment right now."

"I guess I just have more faith in you than you have in yourself, and by the way, I came up with an idea, or a notion rather, on how we could close the breaches for good."

Barry passed him a notebook that had formulae scribbled in black ink across the page, his theory to close the breaches clearly scripted.

"This is… this… who wrote this?"

"You did. Yeah, the other you. Evil, not stupid."

"I think the answer might be in the electromagnetic insulator of the quark matter."

"Like I said, we are a team."

"I'm gonna take a look at this. I'm gonna stick around and run some computer sims on the formula."

"I'll see you tonight."

"Yeah, see you later," Harry waved him off, feeling guilty about betraying him.

* * *

"Drink up," Harry sneered, throwing the glass vial at Zoom who caught it with ease. He felt sick as he watched Zoom consume the stolen goods.

"Aah," Zoom grunted, after he downed the vial, throwing the glass on the floor. Zoom blinked, his eyes glowing an electric blue as he felt the speed force course through his bloodstream. The rush was euphoric and though it quenched his thirst for the moment, Zoom could feel himself craving more of the speed force. He needed more.

"Had enough?" Harry asked.

"Not even close," Zoom grinned manically.

"Give me back my daughter and I'll get you the rest," Harry ordered.

"You're not in the position to negotiate."

"You won't kill me and you won't kill my daughter because if you do, then you won't get what you want."

"I don't need to kill your daughter," Zoom said, running over to Harry and punching him in the abdomen, leaving him winded. "I can torture her. Bring her right up to the edge of death, so I can do it again the next day and the next. Bring me the rest of Flash's speed."

* * *

"Hey. I ran background checks on everyone involved in this Tar Pit mess, came up empty," Joe said. "I mean they all have records, but they're sealed, so I can't read them."

"Well, that's cause you're bound by ethics, Detective West."

"How many felonies are we committing by breaking into sealed court records?"

"Eh, three or four…. Nope, five."

"Well, they were sealed because the records are all juvenile offense," Cisco said.

"They weren't arrested together," Barry read. His eyes ran over the screen faster than anyone could and he picked up something interesting along the way. Barry stopped Cisco's scrolling and zoomed in on a certain part on the screen. "No, but look at this. They served in the same juvenile detention facility."

"Actually, Monteleone and victim one were bunkmates."

"Who do we have shacked up with vic. two?" Joe asked.

"Bronwen, Clark." Cisco frowned.

"Good luck finding him. He has a ton of addresses and I can't seem to find anything current. I'll run his picture through facial recognition."

"That won't be necessary," Iris spoke up. She knew exactly where to find this piece of slime. "In this case, I am facial recognition. I know exactly where we can find that guy, and, Dad, you are not gonna like how."

"Okay, you can tell me about it on the way," Joe said as he slipped on his jacket, making sure that his gun was strapped to his waist before inclining his head towards the door, signalling that Iris would be accompanying him.

"What is that?" Sophia asked as she looked at the device that Harry was tinkering with.

"Breach implosion reactor," He replied stiffly.

"Sorry I asked," She muttered at his sour tone.

"You ready?"

"Yeah, let's do it," Barry said.

"Have fun fixing the universe, you two."

"Hey, what's wrong?" Sophia asked, watching Barry with concern. "You seem like you're in pain." She could tell by the way his eyes were strained and the added fact that he had an expression of pain written all over his face.

"What? No, no, I'm okay, I just have a headache."

"If our calculations are correct," Harry spoke up.

"And they are."

"And they are," Cisco reiterated.

"When this device detonates it will collapse the event horizon on this side of the breach, thereby shutting off any connection to Earth-2 permanently."

Barry yawned during the explanation causing Sophia to frown. She was sure that he had gotten a good sleep last night, and Barry wasn't one to get sick with his super metabolism and immune system. She was worried, especially after her brain went back to the fact that Cisco had even brought it up that previous day, asking about his reduction in speed.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sophia asked, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm just a little tired," Barry reassured, pressing a kiss to Sophia's temple. "I don't feel like myself." She looked up at this statement with worried eyes to which he shook his head. "I'm good though."

"Yeah."

"It's gonna work, Harry."

"Yep, yep. Okay."

"You ready?"

"Yeah, give it to me," Barry said picking up the device. With a spin he was dressed in his suit, and a moment later he was out the door, the rest of the team rushing to the computers to watch him move around the city on the sensors. As Barry rushed to the first breach, one that was situated on the outskirts of the docks of Central City with the now activated device, they watched him activate it, the breach collapsing and closing forever.

"Come on," Sophia whispered as the blue dot blinked rapidly and a moment later it was gone.

"We did it!" Cisco cheered as Barry came tumbling back into the room.

"You just rewrote the laws of physics!"

"Don't smile or anything," Sophia chided. Harry cracked a little smile, but it was quickly wiped away from his face. Sophia eyed him with confusion. Why wouldn't he be happy? They were one step closer to saving his daughter if anything. She figured he was still in a mood from before and decided to ignore it.

"I guess that was pretty cool."

"Yeah, I'd say so."

"One down, 51 to go," Barry laughed feeling much more like himself.

"Yeah."

"Allen…"

"Yeah?" Barry asked just as everyone had left the room to go and celebrate. Caitlin had some champagne stashed in the kitchen in a small locker.

"Thank you," Harry said sincerely, his heart going out to the young man before him.

"It's just the first step in getting your daughter back," Barry said, a grin on his lips. "Come on." Barry inclined his head and walked out of the room, Harry following behind him, the older man riddled with guilt.

* * *

Their night was interrupted quickly when Barry got a panicked call from Iris. He was over at the scene as fast as he could, but evidently he was too late. Tar Pit had turned up to attack Clark and in the process, Iris had been caught in the crossfire. She was alright considering the situation, but a large shard of glass had pierced her shoulder and she was rushed to the hospital.

Sophia went to the hospital while Joe quickly tied up the crime scene until someone else could get there. She saw that Iris was taken care off. After the glass had been removed, she was given a few stitches, but she was good to go home in a few hours. They were all relieved that she was alright, especially Wally who felt guilty for what had happened.

Wally knew that they were there because of him, well that and Clark but he felt a degree of responsibility. He bought a bouquet of baby pink and tangerine roses from the little shop downstairs in the hospital, taking it up when he went to visit Iris. He apologised profusely for his behaviour and what happened, feeling relieved when both Iris and Joe forgave him.

Sophia had just arrived back into the room with coffees for Wally and Joe when her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket to see that it was Barry.

"Barry's calling, I gotta go," Sophia said.

"I should probably come as well," Joe said.

"I'll stay with Iris," Wally said.

"Are you sure?" Joe asked.

"Well, she's my sister, right?" Wally's words warmed Joe's heart.

"That's my boy."

Sophia's feet paced quickly upon the tiled floor of the hospital as she dodged patients and stretchers alike that were being rushed through the narrow corridors. Her fingers flew across the touch screen of her phone, typing a message to Barry to let him know that herself and Joe would be arriving there shortly. By his reply she could tell that he was on edge about Tar Pit, especially after what had just happened with Iris.

The duo walked outside, and moved to the corner of the street where the lights were lit low, and the crowds were non-existent.

"Let's fly, we'll get there quicker," Sophia said and Joe nodded, despite not enjoying the heights.

It hadn't taken more than two minutes to fly from the hospital down to Star Labs, Sophia landing gently outside the gates, opening the lock and letting Joe past her as they rushed inside.

"Don't worry, we're gonna get him," Cisco said just as Sophia and Joe walked into the room.

"I'm sorry, dude. What?" Barry asked from his seat, looking up at Cisco.

"Tar pit," Cisco said. "You shouldn't worry. We're gonna get him with these." He held up two circular shaped objects. "With these nitrous grenades. Each of these has ten times the concentration of a hot rod's nitrous tank and is triggered by extreme heat."

"That's insane," Joe said. "Will it work?"

"We're talking 650 degrees," Cisco scoffed. "That's the boiling point of asphalt, so one of these puppies makes contact, you got a Tar Pit popsicle for dessert," Cisco said, proud of himself with his little imagery.

"Nice," Joe hummed. As long as the bastard was caught. He had caused them enough trouble, especially with the added fact that his daughter had gotten caught in the crossfire.

"All right, that's great. Um… I think that maybe you were right. I felt slower tonight."

"What do you mean?" Sophia asked trying her best not to panic.

"Not by much, but slow enough. Well, do you think there's something wrong with the suit maybe?" Barry asked. He couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. He was eating the same as usual, training more if anything so he should have been moving faster not slower.

"It's unlikely. The readings from the suit are normal," Cisco clarified. "You know I take care of that thing."

"Yeah…" Barry sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Am I sick?"

Sophia walked up towards him, placing the back of her hand against his forehead. His temperature didn't feel any different than usual. She placed her fingers against his neck to his pulse point. It was strong, steady and regular for his altered vitals. His skin didn't look pale or red. She moved to the side, pulling out her nurse's flash light from the draw, moving it in front of Barry's eyes to check his pupils. They were reactive and the right size, she couldn't think of anything else that could be wrong.

"You're fine, you look fine too, besides the whole tired thing. Do you feel any different?"

"No, not really. I mean, I know that I'm slower in the moment, but I can't tell by how much."

"Have you been sticking to your diet? Are you consuming enough calories?" Sophia asked as she moved to the computer. She quickly pulled up Barry's medical history that they kept on file here, as well as the readings from the last time he was in the suit which was only a half hour ago. His heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturations, everything it seemed was in place. So why was he feeling this way? Why was he slower?

"This doesn't make any sense. All of your vitals are in range, you don't have a temperature or any signs that you're sick or you have an infection. So what happened to you that hasn't happened before?" Sophia asked, leaning back in her chair as she stared at Barry.

"Are you sure it isn't the suit?" Joe asked Cisco who nodded.

"I check that thing all the time, it isn't the suit."

"You're slower by 2 per cent by the way. The test on the components in your blood show the Speed Force at a 100 per cent for the last 60 days until today, it dropped to 98," Cisco mentioned.

"That explains why you feel slower, but how did the speed force suddenly diminish?" Sophia asked, not liking where this was going.

"Zoom stole Jay's speed," Cisco said. "Do you think maybe, during your fight with Zoom, yours might have diminished?"

"But that was weeks ago. Why would I just be feeling those effects now?"

"Dr. Wells?" Cisco turned around, eyes focusing on the man in question in the corner of the room who had been so quiet that Joe and Sophia hadn't even noticed he was in the room upon their arrival.

"Yeah."

"You've studied the Speed Force more than anyone. What do you think could have happened?"

"It could be a number of things," Harry said ominously.

"Yeah. All right. I just-I mean, Iris could have died tonight because I was 2 per cent slower."

"She's gonna be okay, Barry," Joe tried to reassure him.

"You know, this time, but the fact is, she is hurt right now because of me. I wasn't fast enough to protect Iris just from some meta-human tonight. When Zoom attacks again, I need all of my speed and then some. I can't lose anyone else," Barry said, his eyes on Sophia as he spoke.

"You won't," Sophia told him, her hand resting atop of his own as she gave him a sad smile.

"I did it," Harry confessed, breaking the silence. He couldn't keep it a secret any longer. It was eating him alive.

"What?"

Harry moved to the Flash suit, pulling out a device that was hidden behind it, the very device that he had been using to collect the speed force from. He then pulled out a vial that was full of it, holding it in his palm and up towards the group before him. He heard Sophia's gasp and the pained expression on Barry's face told Harry that the secret was well and truly out.

"Whoa, whoa, what is that?" Cisco asked nervously as he looked at the vial that Harry was holding, flashes of lightning throughout it.

"I stole your speed. I gave it to Zoom," Harry said.

Sophia had jumped up from her seat faster than Barry did who was frozen in shock. She moved over to where Barry was standing and stood in front of him protectively, her eyes glowing cobalt blue. Her protective instincts had taken over and she was sure that if Harry didn't explain things soon she would blast him into oblivion.

"What are you talking about Harry? You can't be…" She spoke with disbelief. He was their friend. She trusted them, they had all trusted him. But as the cogs and gears turned in her head, it made sense. It made her sick.

"No, no, no, this isn't…"

"What, you're working with Zoom?" Joe asked.

"No, not at first," Harry said calmly.

"We trusted you. I trusted you!" Barry yelled as the realisation settled in.

Joe hadn't bothered to whip out his gun only to move across the room, his fist meeting Harry's jaw in a rage of fury.

"Joe, stop!" Barry shouted.

"Both of you, calm down," Sophia spoke with a soft tone. She had a feeling that they didn't have the whole story. Anger, rage, fury, these were all words that could describe the rush of feelings through her veins but she contained them. She walked over to Harry and told him to hold out his hands. She took the vial from him, giving it to Cisco carefully before creating a pair of handcuffs out of her energy. She cuffed Harry, pulling his arms roughly behind his back before escorting him downstairs to the pipeline.

With her face void of emotion that scared the other men in the room, they followed her as she put Harry in a cell, pressing the button and sending him into the pipeline.

"Why did you put him in there?" Joe asked.

"Because if I didn't, I would've killed him," Sophia said with such nonchalance that it actually sent a shiver down Cisco's spine.

"Let's go find this tar freak."

"Couldn't have said it better myself. I'm in the mood to kick someone's ass," Sophia said through gritted teeth.

* * *

Using Cisco's nitrous grenades, Sophia had made quick work of Tar Pit. Barry was surprised at the anger and power that she wielded as she took down Tar Pit. Her fists and kicks were fast and she had an almost murderous glint in her eyes.

He was sure that he wasn't even needed as he watched her send the nitrous grenades at Tar Pit with a flurry of vengeance, the gases mixing in with her energy to attack the Meta, effectively taking him down. Barry had only provided a bit of a distraction with his speed at the beginning, leaving the rest up to her.

He knew how she felt, because he was feeling that very way right now. He couldn't believe that he had put his faith in Harry, only to have him betray them all.

After they had dealt with Tar Pit, they went back to Star Labs with the intention of interrogating said man, but Sophia grabbed Barry's wrist, pulling him back as the rest of the team entered the cortex.

"Can we talk?" Sophia asked, looking up at him with sad eyes and what looked like guilt.

"Yeah, rooftop?" Barry asked and she nodded. He wrapped his arms around her and with a whoosh they were up on the roof of Star Labs. He settled her down on the roof and she took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry," Sophia blurted out.

"Why?"

"I feel like it's partially my fault. I trusted him, I told you to put your faith in him when you doubted him, to believe him and to help his daughter and in the end all he did was stab you in the back, I shouldn't have-"

Barry cut her off with an abrupt kiss to the lips, his hands on her lower back, pulling her closer to him. His lips caressed her own for a moment longer before pulled away, a heavy breath escaping his lips as he gazed down at Sophia who still looked a bit distressed by the whole ordeal. He moved one hand up to cup the side of her face, his thumb slowly brushing against her the soft skin of her cheekbone as they both took a moment to clear the anger from their hearts.

"It's not your fault. I- We all trusted him. We didn't know this was going to happen. It's not your fault. If anything, it's my fault. I trusted him first."

"I just- I feel terrible. I'm just so tired of people betraying us. It's just so tiring, Barry," Sophia sighed, leaning her head against his chest.

"I know it is. But we can't stop seeing the best in people because of a few rotten eggs."

"They were more than rotten eggs, trust me."

"I know, I know. Look, we're going to go down and talk to him now. Joe and I. We need to know why and what else he's done for Zoom. You can come if you want, but you don't have too," Barry told her as she looked up at him, rubbing his thumb against her cheek once more. "I know how much you wanted to believe in him."

"I'll come."

"It's no one's fault."

"Okay, I get it," Sophia laughed dryly. "Want to say it again?"

"Nah," Barry chuckled.

"I love you," Sophia whispered her eyes darting to his eyes and then his lips.

"I love you with all my heart, and more." This had seemingly been the right thing for him to have said in that moment because the next thing he knew her lips were pressed up against his hard and passionately. She tilted her head for better access, her mouth slanting over his greedily as though they hadn't kissed in what felt like years. Barry was eager to respond, his hands tangled in her hair as his mouth left a trail of hot kisses on hers. Sophia pulled away just enough so she could see him, but she was still so close that she could feel his breath on her lips, leaving a tantalising feeling behind.

"Good to go?" Barry asked, receiving a nod in response. He leaned down and pressed another sweet kiss to her lips before running them down to the pipeline where Joe was already waiting.

"Ready?"

"When you are," Joe said.

Barry moved to the panel on the side, pressing the button and the cell number that Harry was residing in, bringing it forward, the doors opening with a hum, the screen lifting up to reveal Harry sitting on the floor behind the glass.

"You know, it's ironic. I was just saying how much you remind me of the old Wells, and now, here we are, just like I did with him, standing on either side of this glass with me asking you, _why_?"

"I'm doing what I have to do to save my daughter," Harry said.

The mention of his daughter made Sophia's anger soften as she remembered the poor girl stuck in Zoom's clutches.

"Yeah, at any cost, right? The cost of Joe's daughter."

"I told you, _I would betray you_ , I told you, _I would have to choose_."

"You chose wrong," Joe countered.

"Really, did I? Because I just sacrificed my daughter," Harry yelled, pain in his eyes. "Because _I_ just sentenced my daughter to death to save your son," Harry spat.

"You want a pat on the back?"

"I want you to send me home," Harry said, turning to face Barry and Sophia. "Send me back to Earth-2. Think about it. Zoom wants you to get faster. He wants you to have more Speed Force in you, for when he finally takes it, send me back, use the implosion reactor to shut down the breach. Shut down all the breaches," Harry breathed. "Close them all and Zoom will never be able to crossover, ever again, and that'll be the end of it."

"What about your daughter?" Sophia asked softly. She wasn't heartless enough to leave the poor girl to die by Zoom's hand. "What about Jesse?"

"Jesse's my battle to fight, not yours."

* * *

Harry's words about his daughter resonated with Sophia deeply. She couldn't imagine or even fathom what it would be like to have someone you loved being tortured or on the verge of death, their life sitting on your shoulders. If it had been her father, or Anna or even Barry, she wouldn't be able to do it. She couldn't betray them, she would do anything to save them. She would bleed for them, she would die for them. So when she played Harry's words in her head over and over again, she found it harder and harder to hold it against him.

"This is a sample of Barry's cells after whatever Harry did to them," Caitlin explained, showing it on screen. She was just as surprised as the rest of them at this betrayal and it hit home just as hard as the first Wells. "As you can see, not only is it drained of the Speed Force, but it's also presenting itself as chromosomal damage. If Harry kept doing what he was doing, he could have taken your powers permanently."

"Even evil Wells couldn't figure out how to do this."

"Well, look, somebody better send his ass back to where he came from or I'm gonna shoot him," Joe said.

"Amen," Cisco hummed.

"No," Barry spoke up.

"What do you mean, no?" Joe asked.

"I mean, what would you do if it was Iris, Joe?"

Barry turned around to face Cisco and Caitlin.

"And Cisco, when Snart kidnapped you, threatened to kill your bother unless you helped, you did and none of us judged you for that," Barry said. "We still don't because when it comes to family, when it comes to the people that we all love, we're all vulnerable. None of us are above making a wrong decision."

"It's true. If it was my father that had been taken, the only family I have left. I would be desperate enough to do whatever Zoom wanted just to save him. Family is family and there is nothing we wouldn't do to keep them safe," Sophia said, letting out a deep sigh, massaging her temples with her fingers.

"He could have done it," Barry pointed out. "He could have stolen my speed, gotten away with it. None of us would have even known, but he didn't and now his daughter's gonna die and we're okay with that? I can't just give up on her. I can't give up on a world. This is a world full of people who are facing death. I don't know, I may not be fast enough to beat Zoom yet, but I'm not gonna just close the breaches and forget about it."

"I think that we have to help him. We can't blame him for trying to save his daughter, but we can do something. We can help him save Jesse," Sophia said. "We have to at least try."

"It's gotta be a group decision," Barry said.

There was light discussion and moments of silence until it was decided. They would be releasing Wells and sending him home, but he wouldn't be travelling alone. Barry and Cisco would be accompanying him there to stop Zoom.

"I guess we're going to Earth-2."

* * *

 **A/N –** Are you excited or what?!

Just a heads up that I will be writing my own take on the E-2 episodes, they won't be exactly the same as the show, so don't expect it. But I'm telling you now, it's definitely the best chapter I've written in a while. I'm so proud of it and I hope you all like it.

Also I would like to apologise for the lack of character in these last few chapters. I've been so out of things lately with family and anxiety and it's just taken a lot of effort and energy to write, and it's not the best I could produce, but it's all I have, so thank you again for all your love and support even if the quality ain't all that great compared to some of my other chapters.

Thank you again for your continual support, all the new followers/favourites/reviews. It means the world. I write for free, for enjoyment and use up my spare time when I could be doing other things and to get this sort of response from you guys is what makes it all worth it. So, thank you.

 **Replies:**

 **Turtlekier42** : Thanks for the review! Hope you enjoyed this one and are looking forward to what happens next.

 **ImsebastianstanButter** : Thanks for the review! Yes, she's quite scared of the Reverse-Flash just because of what happened to them in the past with him etc. I mean he was the reason that she died in the future and all this other crap, so yeah she's pretty scared of him. It's a nightmare come back to haunt her.

 **LMarie99** : Thank you for the review! Yeah, I realised there wasn't a lot of her in that, so I tried to incorporate more here, but trust me, majority of chapter 16 which is coming soon is all her, so don't fret too much. HAL JORDAN. Yes, it was. They obviously knew each other in another timeline and since she's travelled through the breaches before it's sort of left this little mark on her and she's gets this familiar feeling when she was around him, but alas, he's gone.

 **RHatch89** : Thank you for the review and your continual support, hope you enjoy this one.

 **Guest** : Thank you so much for your support. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, a bit more Sophia in it, but also the next chapter is like SOPHIA CENTRIC so you're gonna love it.

 **Erudessa-gabrielle** : Thank you so much for your review, it motivated me to edit this chapter and get it posted.

 **Beachgirlsrule** : Thank you so much for your kind words, it means the world. Hope you enjoy this one as well.


	16. Welcome to Earth-2 (aka Hell)

Note: Wai in Chinese translates to great, and is a unisex name.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Vivid discussion had taken place before the trio travelled through the breach and to Earth-2 where they would be hunting down Zoom and rescuing Jesse. It was decided mutually that Central City could not go unprotected, despite the vehement protests made by certain members of the team.

Though this didn't sit well at all with Sophia, she knew that she would have to be the one to stay and watch over Central City. With Meta-humans still on the loose it would be unwise to leave it to the CCPD. Plus, there was something Harry said about needing the help of a friend on Earth-2 and how this friend wouldn't work well if Sophia was there, causing her to roll her eyes at this comment.

Cisco would be there for technical support. Not to mention the added fact that with his new powers he would be able to vibe and get them closer to Zoom, leading them one step closer to discovering where he was hiding Jesse. Harry had given Barry back the speed he had stolen, the speed force travelling back through Barry's bloodstream where it belonged.

It was the morning the team was due to leave and Barry was still running around town. Sophia and Barry had both donned their suits, flying around Central City in an attempt to close all the breaches except for the one hidden in the basement of Star Labs. They had successfully closed all of the breaches and were now back in Star Labs as Barry and Cisco gathered the last few things they needed to take with them.

Though Sophia had days now of preparing herself to say goodbye to Barry, she still wasn't ready. She didn't want him to be fighting Zoom on his own. Travelling through was risky and she couldn't bear it if something happened to him. She had been in the business long enough to know that this is what would be classified as a suicide mission.

"Be careful." Sophia pulled Barry down for a kiss, her lips grazing against his painfully slow as she tried to make it last. Her hands gripped his shoulders, a part of her hoping that if she held onto him tight enough maybe he wouldn't leave. She didn't know what was going to happen on Earth-2 and the fact that she couldn't be there to provide support and back-up made her feel queasy in the days leading up to their departure.

"I will," Barry promised, placing a lingering kiss on her forehead. He wrapped his arms around Sophia, her head resting against his chest as she tried to reassure herself that he would be fine. He had to be fine.

"Look after Cisco," Sophia told him, her head buried in the crook of his neck, memorising the feeling of his touch.

"What am I, five?" Cisco groaned as he walked down towards them.

"No, you're twelve," Sophia smirked as she pulled away from Barry's embrace.

"Okay, mom." Cisco punched her arm lightly before giving her a big hug as well.

"Take care of each other."

"Don't worry, we'll be alright," Cisco said, giving her a smile even though he felt nervous as hell.

"Look, if we're not back in 48 hours that means Zoom has us. If that happens, you have to close the breach," Barry said, his eyes meeting Joe's.

"We're not gonna do that," Joe said, glancing briefly at Iris and Sophia who stood there with frozen expressions.

"That's not going to happen. You're going to be fine. You're gonna come back in one piece alright. Otherwise I'm going to fly in there and come and get you myself," Sophia said, trying to smile but failing all the while. She blinked, biting down on her lip to prevent tears from forming.

"No, you can't. You have to close it."

Sophia didn't say anything and she turned to look away from Barry. She couldn't make that promise. If things were reversed she knew that he wouldn't take no for an answer either.

"Just get your ass back here safe and sound please," Sophia finally said, hugging him one last time. She had practically smothered him that morning when they were getting out of bed, making sure to kiss him more than once. When they finally let go, Barry moved to the front of the room where he waited for Cisco who was hugging Caitlin goodbye, passing along a letter for his parents and his brother should something happen to him on Earth-2.

"Let's do it."

Jay, Sophia and Caitlin all moved to one side of the breach, pressing down on a button that stabilised the wormhole the others would be travelling through.

Barry stood in the middle of Harry and Cisco, one hand grasping the back of their jackets, keeping a tight grip on them. He sent one final look at Sophia, giving her a strong smile and waiting for her to return it before running head on into the void before him, the three figures being consumed by the glowing breach, now travelling to another Earth, another timeline.

In the blink of an eye, they were gone, and Sophia felt a pang of emptiness in her heart. But she wasn't able to dwell on this for long before the beams that had been holding up and stabilising the breach began to collapse, crashing to the ground. She managed to fly out of the way just in time, glancing over to see that both Jay and Caitlin were also alright, the two of them huddled in the corner of the room, just missing the beam from hitting them. The electricity almost hissed at her as she kicked a piece of the metal. It was definitely dead.

"You guys okay?" Sophia called out.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Caitlin said, and Jay nodded.

"What happened?" Iris asked, being careful as to where she stepped next, some electrical wires on the floor still wriggling with energy and electricity.

"With the rest of the breaches closed, the energy surge to this last remaining breach must have destabilized it," Jay said.

"Well, what does that mean?" Joe asked, a wave of panic beginning to settle in.

"As long as it's unstable, Barry and Cisco will be trapped over there."

And the penny dropped.

* * *

From a young age Sophia Wai Lang had aspired to be great, to become something more. She knew she was destined for greatness, she just wasn't sure what the future held for her. Was she destined to follow a path of good or evil, or would she perhaps be something in between? A shadow hiding in the grey, trying to avoid choosing to be either black or white? This was something that Sophia constantly asked herself over the years as time went on.

Throughout her childhood her family had urged and encourage her to aim higher, and to achieve as much as she could. This applied to her education and work ethic. Sophia had taken AP classes, graduating high school at the age of 15, a prodigy of her small town in Kansas State. She had then gone onto some of the most prestigious colleges, completing a bachelor's degree, majoring in microbiology, physics and chemistry. After that she had then gotten her masters in engineering, and even a PhD in astrophysics. Hobbies and past times included learning languages, Sophia having mastered over 7 languages by the age of 18 excluding English and her mother tongue of Cantonese. Her days were spent studying, reading and practicing various forms of martial arts, swimming and track.

It was only when she reached the ripe age of 21 when she discovered why her parents had been preparing her so. She had thought that they lived a quaint life in Kansas State that was until their family relocated to Central City, closer to their business ventures.

It was not something she had expected at all, but she had inherited the two businesses that her parents had ran. One was her mother's medical institute in Central City where research was conducted to find cures to various diseases and illness that plagued the world such as cancers, heart failure and even robotics in terms of replacing amputated limbs. She was on the forefront of the scientific world, discovering new things every day she went there.

Then there was the other half that she had inherited from her Chinese father. His family had ties to the Chinese Mafia that had migrated from China in the 70s, establishing their main influence and stronghold in the dark corners and streets of both Central and Star City. The Wai mafia as they were called- she instantly made the ironic connection between her hidden middle name and their proud title- had various casinos and clubs all established around the city. Smuggling of drugs and guns was often handled on the side with their main gambling business.

Sophia wondered how she had never figured this out before, but it was obvious once she had been let in on the secret how well her parents hid it from her. She didn't care too much for her father's business and what he deemed a family tradition, more interested in the fascinating science behind the entrepreneur that her mother was.

Well that was until her parents were killed.

From that moment on her life had changed in more ways than one. It had all been triggered by the S.T.A.R Labs Particle Accelerator explosion.

She was left torn apart. The explosion had ripped her into a thousand pieces, gluing her back together in the wrong pattern. She was different now… unnatural. Sophia was what was known as a Meta-Human, something people on this Earth despised.

She had tried her best to be strong during this time of change as she lost her parents, gained two dynasties that were almost rivals in the law, and now her new powers. She wanted to help people for the greater good, and for a while it had worked. That was at least until Zoom came onto the scene, then things became difficult and Sophia lost herself.

Her life had been flipped upside down and turned into a war zone. It didn't matter how much power and energy she wielded from her fingertips, or how fast she could fly, or the strength of her will.

Zoom was always faster.

He was one step ahead, and this time, he wouldn't let her forget.

Zoom had recruited an army of Meta-Humans, forcing them to bend and break to his will. The invitation had extended out to all of those with powers, abilities that were not of the norm, no matter how extraordinary or ordinary they seemed. Those that had refused, those that fought by her side tooth and nail were destroyed. Obliterated to shreds, until nothing but their lifeless bodies were left to litter the streets of Central City, leaving rivers of blood in his wake, to show the people that Zoom ran this town.

Sophia had refused, time after time, leaving her penthouse apartment in the dark of the night to fight against him and his pawns only to be thrown down again and again like a ragdoll, scattered with scars and injuries from her feeble attempts at protecting the people of Central City. She knew it would be what her parents wanted. She knew that the path to greatness would be a path of sacrifice. She thought she had already paid it by losing her parents, but evidently it was not enough.

Zoom had discovered her true identity, ironic considering she had named herself The Shadow. He had targeted the only person she had left, the last person left on this Earth that she loved, and because of this she had to leave Barry Allen behind. The fiery heart that was buried deep in her chest proved to be greater than his villainous speed. She raged, and burned and fell alight from the sky like an angel with burning wings as she sought him out that very night after he had threatened Barry.

Battle ensued and both were left with major losses. Sophia had connected with her energy on a cellular level and the higher power that had given it to her. Her eyes had glowed so bright that it blinded most around her, the azures and silver shadows illuminating the entire city in a cascade of colour and light as she contained Zoom in a trap of energy that surrounded him. Each time he tried to phase through it, she drained a little bit of the speed force from his system, leaving him slower than before.

When their epic battle had ended, Sophia fled with a missing left hand, and Zoom ran away with less speed force running through his veins.

Following this Sophia had sold her mother's research facility to Harrison Wells who wished to use the labs and facilities as a combination of his own. She became a recluse and ran the family business, as her father wanted her to, continuing the line of Wai Mafia. She hid herself in the shadows once again, as she regained her strength and resolve. She knew that if she was to go out into the storm unprepared she would be swept up in the rain that littered the ground, and the winds that brewed up above. But if there was one thing for certain that Sophia Wai Lang knew, it was that she wouldn't let the devil named Zoom leave this world without tasting the metal of her sword.

* * *

 _Present day – Earth-2_

Sophia had woken up sprawled across the bed in her penthouse apartment, the black silk sheets drawn up across her bare body, a throbbing pain coming from her left arm. She let out a painful sigh as her eyes fluttered open, grabbing her left arm with her right, clutching it as she brought it up to her face.

She felt her stomach churn as her eyes met the shiny metal hand that had replaced her flesh and blood nearly a year ago. She could still feel the phantom pain from the missing piece of her. She then let her arms fall beside her in the bed, taking a moment to remember where she was and that she was safe before begrudgingly getting out of bed. As she pulled the sheets off herself, swinging her legs off the bed, her feet finding the slippers she had left by her bedside the previous night in a haste.

As she stood up she let out a groan, not remembering how painful her night had been. Dark purple and green bruisers were splattered across her abdomen and back from her night activities. She was aching all over to say the least. She grabbed the silk robe hanging off her chair, slipping her arms into it carefully, draping it around her body. Sophia fumbled her way through to the kitchen, flicking the lights on and pouring herself a glass of cold water. Her eyes focused on the clock across from her that hung in the distance indicating it was just pass 1 in the afternoon.

"Morning Maximus, what's on today's schedule?" Sophia asked out loud, her AI system responding a second later.

"Good Morning Miss," The AI greeted. "You have a meeting with the head of the Yakuza crime family at 4pm this afternoon to discuss the trade route clashes that have been occurring over the last few weeks, and the rest of your night has been cleared."

"Cleared?" She asked.

"You cleared the rest of your schedule last night after returning home, severely injured, I might add."

"Thanks Maximus. By the way, do I really have to meet with the head of the Yakuza today?" Sophia groaned as she rifled through her fridge to find something to eat, her stomach grumbling as she realised she hadn't eaten a proper meal in nearly 24 hours.

"Yes. It is imperative that you see to this business, and you left a reminder that it should not be postponed for anything."

"Ugh." She pulled out a carton that had a few eggs, and grabbed some spinach and tomatoes she found lying around in the vegetable tray.

"Is there anything else you need, Miss?" Maximus asked.

"No, Maximus. That will be all."

Silence then fell in her apartment as she manoeuvred around her kitchen, making herself something to eat and trying not to contemplate her life choices.

* * *

Within two hours she had showered and changed into something more appropriate to meet the Yakuza in. A sleek black dress with a boat line neck was quickly donned, some black stiletto's on her feet and she was out the door. Considering it was broad daylight she wasn't able to travel per her usual method in the skies, and had to take to the road. But it wasn't all too bad when one was driving a Ferrari. The yellow car was bright and inviting, and as soon as she slid into the driver's seat she felt at home.

She sped her way to the outer corners of Central City where her main casino was based, hoping that her staff would have their usual meeting room prepared and cleaned, ready for the important visit. Sophia stepped on the breaks, turning her wheel as her car swerved perfectly into her parking spot by the back entrance to the building.

A moment later, her door was open, a hand graciously held out for her to grab onto. Pulling her out was her bodyguard and her right hand man- or in this case, her left hand man.

"Shiro," Sophia greeted with a warm smile.

"Miss Lang," Shiro bowed gracefully, walking forward and opening the back door that led to her office. "I trust you are ready to meet the head of the Yakuza?"

"Promptly, so. There is one slight issue with that matter," Sophia spoke.

"And that is?"

"I forgot his name."

"Tadashi Nakimura."

"Ah."

"And have you brushed up on your Japanese?" Shiro asked. He knew that Sophia had a way with languages, but unfortunately Japanese had not been one that she was completely fluent in. They had been preparing and studying for weeks, and he was very impressed with the way she had gripped the language, the way the words and phrases rolled effortlessly and perfectly off her tongue.

"Hai," She answered with a grin.

Shiro looked down at his watch. "He will be here in twenty minutes. I will escort him personally to your office. It was requested to be held there, and it will be only a short matter as he must attend to other business whilst in Central City."

"Who knew the Japanese were so demanding," Sophia sighed, sitting down in the large black chair behind her particularly long wooden desk.

"Anything to drink?"

"I shouldn't," She said with a hum of contemplation.

"But you want to," Shiro teased with a raised brow, lips quirked into a smile.

"All right then you know it all, get me my usual."

A minute later Shiro had returned with a scotch on the rocks and a few updates of business for Sophia before her guest arrived.

Before Sophia knew it, the meeting had been over. Sophia had been expecting Tadashi to be a middle aged man or even older, but was pleasantly surprised to find that he hadn't been much older than her. He was beyond handsome, quite tall and extremely polite. He even spoke immaculate English and encouraged her to speak to him in Japanese even though this was the case. She found him to be quite charming if she was being honest with herself, a quality she hadn't found in most business partners for some time. It reminded her of her old life, her old friends… she didn't want to think it, but it reminded her of Barry. She had shaken her head at the thought and got back to work, discussing new trade routes or shared responsibilities of each group.

The meeting had only run for an hour, and after she bid Tadashi farewell, agreeing to meet with him again in the near future, she had turned to the drink bar in the corner of her office, pouring herself another scotch as she tried to distract her mind from thoughts of her old life.

She downed it in one shot, and began pouring herself another when she heard the door to her office open. She wanted to laugh at her behaviour, she was becoming her father it seemed.

"Shiro, do you mind getting me another bottle, I seem to have run out," Sophia laughed as she turned around, an empty bottle of scotch in hand, only to be greeted with three faces, ones that she hadn't seen in a very long time.

She paused, as did they, her eyes flicking from the man she had told to never step foot near her again, the man with her enemies face, and the man who she had left behind. Or at least she thought it was so.

"Sophia Lang," Harry spoke. "It's been a long time."

"Not long enough it seems, Harrison," Sophia glowered. "I believe I told you that if you ever stepped foot in this establishment again that you would regret it."

"It's important."

"Isn't it always," She dumped the empty bottle into a trashcan in the corner, and walked around to her desk, taking a seat.

"Sit." She motioned to the seats in front. Harrison sat down first, the other two hesitant to even move.

"We need your help."

"For what?"

"To stop Zoom."

Sophia laughed and it shocked the two younger men accompanying Harrison. "Oh, sorry, I thought you never wanted my help ever again. Wasn't that what you said to me? And wasn't it that very night that I sacrificed so much to try and stop Zoom?" It was then that she brought her left arm up, pulling off the single black glove that had concealed her metal hand.

"Or does my memory serve me wrong?" Her metal hand glinted as the light bounced off it, catching the inquisitive eye of her guests.

"I am sorry for what happened. I truly am. But this time, I need you, we need you."

"I'm curious as to why you came here, but I am more curious of why you brought them," Sophia inclined her head in the direction of the two youngsters. "That's not Barry Allen and that isn't Cisco Ramon, at least not the ones that I know. You've got some explaining to do."

With her arms crossed she waited for Harrison to start talking, but instead Barry had spoken up.

"We're from another Earth, as insane as that sounds," Barry spoke up. He found that he was outside of his element the moment he had stepped through the breach and onto Earth 2. He knew that there was the possibility of bumping into Sophia on this Earth, but the woman before him was not what he had expected. Her eyes were lined with black kohl, her lips painted a lustful red, and she was dressed to impress, and intimidate. He noted that her usual messy curls were forgone, her hair long and pinned straight in a delicate clip that looked of Chinese origin.

"The breaches," Sophia muttered under her breath. It had all suddenly clicked. "You came through the breach."

"How did you know?" Barry asked.

"There have been rumours circulating that Zoom is recruiting people to travel through these breaches to kill a speedster on another Earth. If they succeed, they get a get out of jail free card. That's the extent of my knowledge," Sophia told Harrison. "So you're the Barry Allen and Cisco Ramon of your Earth, I presume."

"Yeah, how did you know? Do you know us here? I really want to meet my doppelganger," Cisco asked with excitement, nearly bouncing in his seat.

"The Cisco Ramon of this Earth is a violent meta-human who deserves to be thrown in jail to rot for the rest of his life," Sophia practically spat in anger, clenching her jaw as she remembered some of her finer moments with the man. "Trust me when I say that you would be better off without the displeasure of crossing paths with him."

"And me? Am I also a villain on this Earth?" Barry asked almost timidly as Cisco shrunk in his chair.

"I haven't spoken to Barry Allen in what feels like years. But no, he's not a bad person. In fact, he's one of the few people left that I trust."

It was quiet again in the room before Harrison began speaking again.

"As much as I love the chit chat, I have no time to waste. Zoom kidnapped my daughter, I came here to save her, and I need your help. I know you still have your connections, you still fight, you can help us find him."

"I'm afraid I cannot," Sophia spoke with a tense voice. She climbed back into her shell once more, looking at Harrison with dark eyes. "I don't work well with snakes."

"Where'd you get your bad attitude?" Cisco scoffed. He wasn't sure that he liked E-2 Sophia, and it made him miss his best friend.

"It's vintage."

"You're ridiculous!" Harry yelled, running a hand through his dark hair, gripping the ends in frustration.

"I have no idea where Zoom is." Sophia downed the rest of her drink, licking her lips and letting out a huff. She was doing her best to avoid eye contact with Barry knowing if she did, her façade would slowly fade. She was afraid that if he asked her, she would crack and agree to aid Harrison, knowing true and well that she may not be able to help.

"Then help us find someone who does," Harry almost begged.

"What do I get in return?" Sophia asked curiously. She knew that if Harrison Wells had come to _her_ for help then he truly had stooped to a low in his desperation.

"Uh, the thought that you helped us and were a decent human being?" Cisco asked, fiddling with his hands.

"No one asked for your opinion, Ramon." Harry glowered.

"Look, we just need another helping hand." Barry looked at her with pleading eyes, hoping she would agree. "We're here on limited time, and Harry said you were the best person to help us with this, that's why we came here looking for help."

She was silent for a moment as she mulled over his words before giving him a curt nod.

"I'll look into it. If I find anything, I'll be at the usual place," Sophia told Harry.

Harry stood up, inclining his head towards Barry and Cisco to do the same, as they moved to leave the room. Harry was certainly glad that he had brought Barry along with him, now understanding that if he hadn't, he would be fighting on his own.

* * *

Nostalgia was a bitch.

At least that's what Sophia told herself as she tugged on the black leather jumpsuit she was wearing. It was skin tight, but non-restrictive, allowing her to flex and move to her will. She removed her usual black glove that covered her metal hand, and then pulled off the hand itself that was attached to the metal nob. She then picked up a gleaming silver sword that was as sharp as a katana and screwed it on.

Now that she was armed and ready, she took to the shadows, travelling throughout the dimly lit streets of Central City through the dead night in search of her next lead.

She had come across quite a few Meta humans who were trying to mind their own business, and easily coerced them into giving her the name and location of an outlaw named The Champion. She had heard of his name in both circles of her life and she was sure that he would have information regarding Zoom's whereabouts, or where to look next.

She made quick work of gathering her information.

The Champion was running an illegal underground cage fighting ring in the slums of Central City. She knew exactly where it was, and was surprised that she hadn't gone there earlier. With a literal kick to the ass of the Meta she had bullied for the information she flew off in the direction of her usual rooftop rendezvous which just happened to be the concrete above the CCPD. Before she made her journey there, she had made sure to put her metal hand back on, twisting the handle of the sword back on and placing it in a compartment on the back of her suit, allowing for easy access.

"Glad to see you're already here," Sophia said as she landed, her feet light on the ground, her presence almost silent to those waiting.

She raised an inquisitive brow when she noted that there was an extra face amongst the three men she had seen that morning.

"Detective West."

"Shadow." Iris inclined her head respectfully.

Sophia sent Iris a smirk and crossed her arms. She hadn't seen Iris West in a very long time. They used to be close, the best of friends in fact until their lives got too messy to remain intertwined. Whatever friendship they had harboured had quickly been shattered upon the arrival of Meta-Humans in Central City.

"It's been a while, Lang."

"It certainly has been. How's your husband?" Sophia asked, though her usual snarky tone had disappeared and genuine concern was laced through her words instead.

Cisco looked between the two women with confused expressions, unsure of what was going on, but Barry winced, having a feeling that this was about him. They hadn't explored much more of the city in the fear of causing trouble so they stuck mainly to Star Labs until Harry told them they were heading to the CCPD. But upon arrival Barry was surprised to see that Iris was a detective, but he was even more surprised to discover his doppelganger was married to Iris West. It certainly wasn't what he had been expecting and it made him feel guilty.

"He's fine. I'm surprised you still care."

Sophia pursed her lips. It was clear to her that Iris had not yet forgiven her for hurting Barry. If Sophia was being honest with herself, she still blamed herself for leaving him behind the way she did. But she knew that she couldn't change the past, so she did her best to remain strong.

"I guess I deserve that."

"You deserve worse. The only reason you're still flying around this city is because I let you."

"Like you could stop me." The tension in the air was sizzling as Sophia and Iris stared each other down.

"I can certainly try."

"Unfortunately, we have more important business to attend to." Sophia shook her head, tilting herself to face Harry, Cisco and Barry.

"There's a man that goes by the name of The Champion who will be able to direct us to Zoom. He's your only hope of finding your daughter," Sophia told Harrison.

"I've heard his name before, but we've had no leads. The most I've been able to discover is that he's running some sort of illegal fight club. No one wants to spill what's been going down there," Iris told them.

"What happens in fight club stays in fight club," Cisco quoted causing Harry to roll his eyes.

"Where do we find him?" Harry asked.

"No. You're not coming," Sophia told him. "If things go south, you need to figure out another way to find your daughter. I'm not taking you. It's too risky."

"I'll go with you," Barry said, taking a step forward. Sophia held up her hand, looking at his face directly.

"You're not coming with me. Super speed or not. You don't belong in this world, you don't belong in this fight."

"In case you forgot, I came here for this fight, I came to find Zoom," Barry said.

"Just take him with you, Lang. You and I both know that I won't be any good as your back up if the rumours are true," Iris cut in.

Sophia glowered at Iris and pursed her lips before nodding belligerently.

"If you come with, you are to follow each and every one of my instructions. Do not question me or my judgement. Do you understand?" Sophia asked sternly. They were running out of time and she couldn't waste any more arguing with him about it.

"Yes."

"Good."

Sophia turned to Iris, a grin on her lips.

"Oh, and West, I dumped two Meta's down in your specialised holding cells. Get Cisco to vibe them. They may have extra information about Zoom that I wasn't able to squeeze out of them."

"Sure. Let's go," Iris said, walking towards the exit with Harry and Cisco following.

"Iris," Sophia called out, catching her attention with the use of her first name. "If I don't come back, you know what to do. The directive is the same."

"Noted."

Iris looked at Sophia with wide eyes as she flew away into the night, a streak of yellow lightning following her as Barry- not her Barry- ran after her and into the night.

"What did she mean by that?" Harry asked.

"It means that if she dies helping you save your daughter, her Will is her my desk drawer," Iris said nonchalantly, walking through the exit door and down the stairs of the fire escape, leaving a stoic Harry and a worried Cisco stumbling behind her.

* * *

Sophia was glad to see that Barry had a suit of his own. She knew that he wasn't from this Earth, but he had the face of someone she held close to her heart and if he in anyway put _her_ Barry in danger then she wouldn't forgive him.

"You see that shack there? It's just a front. The real place is underground. The area isn't fitted with any sort of high tech security, if you run in and out, they'll be none the wiser. There are two guards stationed at each entrance, there's the first there, then two more downstairs, and another set by The Champion's office. Inside I'm not sure how many, that's what you need to figure out."

"Can I ask a question?" Barry asked.

"Make it quick," Sophia huffed.

"If you didn't want me to come along, how were you going to figure it out?"

"Don't know." She shrugged her shoulders and he sent her a grin.

"You were counting on me to come along."

"Maybe I was. But now I regret it because you've just wasted two minutes. You could have finished your task already in less time than that."

Barry rolled his eyes, pressing a kiss to Sophia's lips purely out of habit before running into this underground fight club and checking out the perimeter.

Sophia flushed a scarlet red, holding her finger to her lips where he had just kissed her. She hadn't kissed Barry Allen in what felt like a lifetime, and to have him so casually kiss her left her both embarrassed and yearning for more. She blinked furiously and shook her head, trying to calm her racing heart. She couldn't believe he just did that. She frowned and felt a wave of anger rush over her, replacing the euphoria that she felt only a moment ago. How dare he? He had his own Sophia back home, so why was he kissing her?

He was back in a second flat, kneeling in front of her once more from their hiding spot a good mile or two away to relay the information. In fact, there were less guards on site tonight, and he figured it was because there wasn't a fight currently on. He had overheard the man who must have been The Champion talking to someone on the phone about laying low. There were three guards in his office and he knew that he could take them all out in a second, leaving them alone with The Champion who they needed to speak with.

Sophia looked up to see Barry there and her body reacted on instinct. She brought her hands up to his face, and pulled him down to her, melding her lips against his one last time, her mouth pressed against his own with an almost bruising pressure before pulling away, savouring the feeling of his lips on her own. Swiftly and much to Barry's shock, she brought her hand up, her palm slapping him across the face, the action leaving a stinging sensation upon his skin.

"Don't kiss me again."

"Noted." Barry brought his hand up to his cheek, grimacing at the stinging sensation he had just been gifted with. He realised then that though he hadn't exactly been cheating on his girlfriend as he just kissed his girlfriend before in an innocent manner, that he shouldn't have done it in the first place. Though they were the same, they were also different. He should have realised this before and he berated himself for it when he noticed the worn and hurt expression the woman before him was sporting at this very moment, though she did well to mask her pain.

"How many guards?"

"Total of eleven in the entire complex. Three inside with The Champion, and eight outside."

"You take care of the eight outside and I'll take the office. Easy enough?"

"I'll meet you inside."

The next minute or so was a wild rush. Yelling, grunting and the cracking of bones had all ensued. Barry had swiftly knocked out the majority of the guards, until it came to two twins by the looks of it who had powers that allowed them to shoot fire from their hands. Barry ran to the other side of the complex, trying not to get scorched before he remembered what he had done in a similar situation back on his Earth. He ran towards the two, cornering them in the middle of the room, running circles around them so fast that all the oxygen in their vicinity was stolen, leaving them both starved for oxygen, their fire dying down quickly, and both of them passing out in an instance.

He was quite proud of his work, and he only remembered that he was meant to meet Sophia in the office with The Champion when he heard screaming from that direction. He ran into the room to find the three guards on the floor unconscious and Sophia standing over The Champion with her sword to his throat.

"Where is Zoom?" Sophia yelled the question once more. She could feel blood trickle down her chin as she asked her question.

"I will not ask again." She pressed her blade tighter against The Champions throat, drawing blood this time. Her boot clad foot was pressing down firmly on the man's sternum, making it hard for him to breathe. She couldn't believe that this man so many feared that they called The Champion of all things was just some pathetic low life scum named Koran Jones who she had previously encountered before in her time as Shadow. She hadn't known he had made a name for himself, but it was clearly given to the wrong man.

She knew who this man really was. He was a pathetic criminal who had murdered and raped people. She had seen the file cases. He had been this way before he became a Meta-Human. She knew whatever happened tonight, she wouldn't be letting him leave this place alive.

He had been easy to take down. Yes he had gotten in a few solid hits, his super strength working will in his favour, but once she had put in a bit more effort he was at her mercy in an instant.

"He has a hideout, a place where he keeps his prizes. Ascension Cliffs. It's through the forest, you know the one. He has a cave up there. It's impossible to get to, there's no path or bridge," Koran rasped, blood glistening on his teeth as he spoke.

"I guess it's a good thing I fly."

Before anything else could be said, or anyone else could move in the room, Sophia brought her sword up from his neck, twisting it in the air before throwing it down on his chest, the steel slicing through his skin and straight through his heart. Barry gasped at the sight, watching her in shock as she pulled her sword out of his chest, the steel gleaming in the light, blood dripping down the tip of the weapon.

"What did you do? Why did you kill him?!" Barry yelled and she threw him a look that scared him. This wasn't the Sophia that he knew. She clenched her metal fist, taking a breath and then released it. "He didn't deserve to die."

"He didn't deserve to live either. This man has killed for far too long. It was time he met his doom. I told you not to question me," Shadow growled.

"Who made you judge, jury and executioner?"

"We need to leave before the rest of his gang wakes up. Move."

They left in silence.

* * *

Cisco had gone back to the Lab with Harry leaving Barry alone with Sophia post-mission once they had filled them in on the information about Zoom's hideout in the caves. Barry had then also been told by Iris that Koran Jones had been on their list of Meta's to shoot on sight. It made him feel a little less guilty for being a part of his demise to hear this, but he still didn't understand why Sophia had killed him. When he voiced this concern to Iris, she had clearly explained who Koran Jones really was and what he had done. He had charges of arson, sexual harassment, rape, first degree murder, homicide and more. He was a bad person and though Barry discovered this information, he couldn't justify taking a life. Things worked differently on his Earth. There was a system of justice, they would serve their time and be punished for their sins, but here, it seemed anyone with a weapon in hand was able to deliver punishment how they saw fit. It was wrong and he couldn't agree.

But regardless of this fact he still followed Sophia back to one of her many properties. This one seemed to be a more secure and hidden one that she had previously used for superhero work. He had watched her as she pulled up satellite footage and images of the very place that Zoom was hiding out in. She quietly explained that they would rest, and suit up in the morning for some recon and then see what they could do about infiltrating the facility. Her plan was to get Barry in there to rescue Harry's daughter while she distracted Zoom in the city. It was still in the planning process, but that was her general idea of how thing should play out.

She was just finishing up typing away at her computer when Barry asked her a question, breaking the silence in the room.

"What happened to you? If you don't mind me asking. I've heard your name before. People said you were a hero, someone who could protect them. What happened?"

"There are two types of pain you will endure during your lifetime, Barry. The type of pain that hurts you, that leaves you weak and vulnerable and the type of pain that changes you."

"You killed that man tonight. Criminal or not, you took a life."

"I've been fighting for a long time… and it's turned me into… this. I'm not who I used to be. I'm not who you think I am. I'm not _your_ Sophia Lang." She swivelled around in her chair to face him, standing up and taking a step forward. She could see the judgement in his eyes, the very same look she was so afraid of seeing in her own Barry's eyes. That's one of the reasons she had never come back to him after what happened with Zoom. She couldn't bear to be rejected by him of all people. She knew it would break her heart.

"I don't know if it matters anymore, but I really did love him," She said softly.

"Love who?" Barry asked, taking a step toward her, pausing when the answer fell from her lips.

"You."

It was silent for a moment, the smile on her face dropping as she realised what she had said in her tired and injured state. Her mask had shattered under his judgemental words and there was no building it back up right now, at least not in this moment.

"You should bandage that up. It'll get infected otherwise," Sophia pointed out. There was a large burn decorating Barry's upper arm that she could see clearly now that he was out of his scarlet suit.

"It'll be fine. I have accelerated healing."

Sophia didn't say anything else, turning to walk out of the room. She was in desperate need of a shower and some sleep.

"I'm sorry," Barry whispered causing her to freeze in her step.

"About what?"

"Everything."

She could feel her lip tremble and she wanted to cry in that very moment. She knew that this was the closets she would ever get to interacting with Barry on an emotional level ever again. He was someone else's now and she couldn't change that. She kept her gaze off of him and did her best to contain her emotions.

"Goodnight, Barry."

Barry watched her walk away with sadness buried deep in his chest.

"Goodnight, Sophia."

* * *

Waking up after the nightmare was always the hardest part for Sophia.

It was the hardest, because it was in that moment that she realised that her nightmares were also her reality.

Her body ached from the fight last night, and her heart sat heavy in her chest as she remembered her conversation with Barry the previous evening. Closing her eyes once more, she took in a deep breath and dragged herself up and off the stiff couch she had been sleeping on. Her feet moved of her own accord towards the quaint bedroom in the corner of her hideout.

As she walked in to the room, her tired eyes spotted Barry as he slept. His lanky form rested peacefully upon her bed, the blankets draped carelessly over his body. She was quiet in her movements as she walked over towards him. Her heart ached for him as her eyes trailed over his face. She was about to bring her hand up to brush some hair out of his face when she caught herself, her hand freezing mid-air. She wasn't allowed to do this, to love him, she had no right… not when she gave him up.

She closed her eyes once more, containing her emotions before stepping away and heading into the bathroom, figuring that a warm shower would do well to soothe her soreness and clear her thoughts.

She needed to focus, to come up with a plan. Now that she knew of Zoom's location, she had to formulate a plan to stop him. As much as she wanted to go into it alone, she knew she wouldn't be able to.

It was a mere ten minutes later that she had finished with her shower and was dressed in an off the shoulder midnight blue dress that stopped just above her knees, a pair of glossy black heels decorating her feet.

She had settled herself in front of her computer, various screens hanging from the wall in front of her, each giving her a different view of Zoom's current location via Satellite. One held a detailed image of a map to the forest leading up to the cave he was hiding in. The other was a birds eye image of the entire base, giving her real time updates, and the rest of the screens were monitoring the criminal activity in Central City, with various lines hooked up to the CCPD channels, as well as television broadcasts for emergency breaking news.

Getting into the cave wouldn't be an issue considering she was able to fly. The problem was distracting Zoom. She wouldn't be able to fight him and rescue Jesse at the same time. That's where The Flash came in. Barry would have to rescue Jesse and get her far away from Zoom's personal prison whilst she took him on in a fight.

She hadn't been active as the Shadow in a long time. Yes, she was fighting as a vigilante in the night, taking on low life criminals or Meta's, but she was careful and took to the shadows, leaving the city none the wiser as to who was saving their town. Therefore she knew her sudden appearance would be a surprise to Zoom, especially if he had gotten wind of her activity last night. She was counting on it getting back to him in some shape or form. If Zoom knew she had become active again, he would come after her, leaving Barry to save Jesse without any problems.

She was brought out of her tactical thoughts when Barry walked into the room, his hair ruffled from his long sleep, and his cheeks slightly flushed. She wondered why he looked like he had been blushing, but it was made clear when she realised that she had walked out of the bathroom that morning in just a towel before she disposed of it on the floor, grabbing clothes from her closet careless as to whose eyes were watching.

She smirked to herself, turning back to her computer screens as she thought about it. He had probably seen her, and for some reason this fact made her feel quite smug. _I've still got it._

"Morning."

"Morning, Soph," Barry greeted, a yawn escaping his lips. He blinked a few times, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with the back of his hand.

"There's a fresh pot of coffee on the bench over there. Help yourself," Sophia said.

"Got any food in this place?" Barry asked. He usually wouldn't have bothered with breakfast, but since becoming a speedster he needed to keep up his calorie intake otherwise he wouldn't be at his best game.

"Check the fridge, there should be some eggs and what not. I'm quite sure that Shiro restocked for me." At the mention of one of her workers, Barry tensed up a bit. When he looked over at her, she seemed unfazed by this, but he was curious as to who Shiro was to her.

"Who's Shiro?" Barry inquired.

"He's my partner."

Barry nearly choked on his coffee. She looked quite amused at this. He was jealous. She could see it from the moment she mentioned his name, and it was quite flattering.

"Business partner," Sophia clarified. "He's more of a glorified assistant to be quite honest with you, but he's been by my side all these years. He's the closest thing I have to a family left on this Earth."

Once those words feel from her lips she realised how lonely she had truly been. Yes she had her work for her, a whole crime dynasty to run, all this money and power, but she was truly alone. She had no one left, no one who loved her and cherished her. The closest thing she had was Shiro who was someone who worked for her, a friend and that was it. She didn't have anyone else, and recognising that was truly painful.

When Barry didn't reply she knew that he would be looking at her with sad eyes. She couldn't bear to gaze into them so she kept her eyes trained on her computer.

"I've devised a plan to rescue Jesse. You're not going to like it, but it's what needs to be done."

"What is it?" Barry asked curiously.

"I'm going to kill Zoom."

* * *

"There's no way it's going to work," Harry said, clenching and unclenching his fists. He was beginning to feel anxious about this whole thing.

"It's the only way," Sophia insisted.

"Really? This is the only way?" Cisco asked, a hint of sarcasm laced in his words.

"It might not be, but its' the only option we have at the moment. I'll distract Zoom, and Barry will run in and rescue Jesse, returning you all to your Earth through one of the breaches. Once you have returned, you will close it from your end," Sophia said. "Problem solved."

"If we do that, he'll kill you. He'll destroy this city," Barry said.

"Not if I kill him first," Sophia said, jumping up from her seat. She moved to look out the window, gazing at the wonders of their city from Harrison's office in Star Labs.

"You won't win, he's too fast."

"Don't underestimate my power."

"Don't underestimate Zoom."

"I'm not. I'm just doing what's best. I don't have anyone left for me on this Earth, Barry. This morning you made me realise that. I am alone. I have all this power, all this money and no one to share it with. What's the point? If I can use my powers to stop this monster, to prevent the destruction of so many innocent lives then it is my responsibility. It is my duty," Sophia said, determination blazing in her eyes as she gazed at him. "You once said that people looked up to me, they said that I was a hero. It's time I took back that title once more."

"You're not fighting him alone. Once I get Jesse out of there I'm coming back for you." The love and compassion in Barry's eyes as he spoke was enough to send her heart beating in a frenzy. She wanted nothing more than to just embrace him in that moment, but she had to remind herself that he wasn't hers. He was from another Earth. She couldn't have him. She looked away, avoiding his stare.

"As soon as Jesse is rescued, you and Cisco must travel through the breach and wait for Barry to return," Sophia told Harry. "If we don't defeat Zoom, then once he's through, you have to close it. Forever."

"It won't come to that," Barry insisted. "We can do this."

"I certainly hope so. But before we begin, there's someone I must speak to."

* * *

Thinking back to when the conversation took place, Sophia was certain that she had said there was someone that _she_ needed to speak to. So it was in this very moment she was both confused and annoyed as to why Barry Allen and Cisco Ramon of Earth-1 as they dubbed it, decided to tag along.

The main reason for this was that she didn't want them to be put in a dangerous situation, so she insisted that if they were to come with, that they would need to stick to the shadows, and blend in with the crowds.

With a few clicks, she had called up Shiro and asked him to have some appropriate clothes delivered to her penthouse apartment in the city, which is where they all got dressed and prepared to head out. Cisco was now wearing dark washed denim jeans, and a black hoodie, a cap over his head and dark sunglasses to shield his identity. It was more important that he were hidden than Barry in this particular scenario due to the very person they would be visiting. Barry had been given a pair of black jeans and matching long sleeve top with a leather jacket to go with it.

"Stay quiet and stay hidden. I'll let you know when to come out," Sophia instructed, receiving dutiful nods from Barry and Cisco as they headed into the devils lair.

Barry and Cisco hid up on a balcony up high in the abandoned warehouse, hidden from sight, watching as Sophia's form walked inside down below.

Sophia's eyes met Reverb who was standing in the middle of the room, looking quite bored. Standing behind him were two individuals, hidden in the dark. She blinked once and her eyes adjusted to the shadows, picking up that it was in fact Killer Frost and Deathstorm who stood there.

"Correct me if I'm wrong Reverb, I thought it was agreed we would be meeting alone," Shadow spoke, flexing her fingers out before her. She was itching for a fight, and was secretly glad that he had handed her one.

"You're not wrong, but you did in fact bring along a few friends of your own, so I thought, w _hat the heck,_ why not?" Reverb grinned manically.

"Well, my friends aren't as adept at killing as yours are, so I think it's best if I even the playing field." Reverb took that as his cue to move out of the way. Sophia threw a bolt of energy at Killer Frost, the blast hitting the villain square in the abdomen leaving her sprawled on the ground groaning from the impact.

This was the right move as it aggravated Deathstorm, who emitted more flames than he had previously. The Shadow grinned and waited until he flew a bit closer, doing her best to summon as much energy as she could. She threw a shield like bubble of illuminating energy around Deathstorm, trapping him in the circular encasing. This angered him even more, and he shot fire from his hands against the bubble in an attempt to crack it, but he only made his situation worse. The longer he was in there, the more he began to suffocate. He was burning up all of the oxygen left in that bubble with his fire, leaving none left for him to breath. It was less than a minute later that he collapsed inside, his unconscious head lulling to the side.

Shadow brought her hand down, levitating the bubble down before letting it disperse into wisps of energy in the air, turning her sights on Killer Frost who had just jumped up from her spot now stalking towards her with a vengeance.

"What's wrong, Frosty? You seem a bit cold today," Shadow taunted.

"You're gonna pay for that," Killer Frost growled, fire burning in her eyes.

Killer Frost formed an icicle in her hand, throwing the ice like a spear, the weapon soaring through the air at an alarming rate. Sophia's right hand reached to her back, drawing out her katana and in one motion, slicing through the ice that had been so very close to impaling her.

"Might want to try a little harder."

The Shadow dodged the onslaught of ice thrown at her, manoeuvring her body in the air before she landed behind Killer Frost, catching her off guard. She twisted her body, twirling her arms around, a massive ball of energy electrified in her hands that went flying at the Ice Queen a moment later. The blast scorched Killer Frost's back, leaving her unconscious on the ground, her face squished against the concrete floor.

"Well that was a piece of cake," Sophia breathed out, her eyes carefully darting to Cisco and Barry who were still hidden upstairs. Though Reverb knew they were here, she was still happy that they hadn't moved from their spots yet. They were safer up there. Reverb was unpredictable and she wasn't sure what would happen next.

"Impressive, two minutes and thirty four seconds," Reverb mused with pursed lips. "You've gotten stronger."

"And you've gotten more pathetic. I can't believe you spend your time surrounded by this scum. Oh wait, you're scum too. Guess it's not that far of a reach."

"The only reason I allowed this meeting to take place is because I owe you one."

"It's because we used to be friends. That was before you became Zoom's bitch."

"How's the hand?" Reverb bit back.

"It's great, packs a real punch. You need a demonstration?" She brought her left hand up, the metal glinting in the light as she formed a fist.

"I'm good, thanks," Reverb said, his words dripping with sarcasm. "Why don't you bring your friends down here and we can talk," Reverb said.

Sophia looked up at Barry and gave him a nod. A second later, Cisco and Barry were down there, standing next to Sophia.

Reverb then took off his glasses and Cisco gasped audibly.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Well, that's funny. I was just gonna ask you the same thing." The two men were nearly identical, save for the clothes they were wearing. Their faces, their hair, their voices, everything was the same. They were replicates of one another, and it was freaking Cisco out.

"Cisco Ramon, meet Cisco Ramon," Sophia said.

"Doppel…"

" _Ganger_."

"I know see this is why you wanted to meet," Reverb said, his eyes darting back to The Shadow.

"I want Zoom's location. I want to know how to find him," Sophia said, cutting to the chase.

"Why?" Reverb asked, leaning against the wall, his eyes narrowing at her.

"So I can kill him. I'm sure he'll be eager to see me again."

"Why would I tell you where he is?"

"You said you owed me one," Sophia said.

"Yes, and that got you through the door, that's about it love."

"If I kill Zoom, you'll be the next reigning champion of Central City. You won't have to bow down to him, or anyone else for that matter. I'd rather have you running the streets than him. He brings terror and destruction. At least you want to build something out of your powers." She was lying to herself and to them all. She knew that as soon as Zoom was dealt with she would be coming after Reverb. He might be less of an evil than Zoom, but she knew that the power would eventually get to him, and he would transform into something even more rotten than he already was.

" _Interesting_." He took a moment to contemplate her words but Sophia was feeling impatient. Her foot was tapping against the floor as she waited for his reply. Her eyes never left his, an intimidation tactics she knew that worked well. It was difficult to make deals with Reverb because his powers were unpredictable, and at times, very revealing.

"You going to help me or what?"

"And if I don't?" Reverb questioned.

"Then I'll take you down, right here, right now. Then," She paused, "my friend Francisco here will vibe the information out of you," Sophia smirked, taking a menacing step forward, Cisco squeaking in agreement from behind her.

"We have a deal," Reverb agreed, narrowing his eyes. "Just don't spill the beans to anyone just yet. Zoom has loyal followers everywhere."

"I could care less. Now that were through, let's get down to business."

Barry just stared on in amazement at Sophia. He was sure that if he wasn't already in love with her, that he would have fallen for her all over again in that moment.

* * *

Reverb was quick in divulging Zoom's location, something they had already known, but he did them one better and told them how to disable the security systems placed around the forest and the cave, allowing them access to get in and out.

Though Sophia had made it clear to Barry that she wanted to lure Zoom away from his cave for the fight, he had rushed in when Reverb had told them that Zoom wasn't at Ascension Cliffs at this current moment in time, meaning they would be able to rescue Jesse. That was Barry's top priority and though she knew he only meant to save Jesse, he was going to cause them more trouble in the end.

So blindly Sophia flew behind Barry to Ascension Cliffs. She made quick work of disabling the security measures with a blast of her electric energy, frying the mainframe that kept it running before flying deeper into the den to find Barry had somehow phased through the glass of Jesse's cell, doing his best to break the chains that held her.

"Jesse!" Sophia ripped the domino mask off her face, taking a step towards the young girl locked in the cage, watching with sad eyes as Jesse struggled to stand up, Barry working quickly to rid her of the cuffs.

"Jesse," Barry said. "Hey. I'm here with your dad! We're gonna get you out of here, all right?"

Jesse nodded, letting out a breath of relief. "Thank you."

"You're safe now," Barry told her as he lifted her up in his arms, phasing them both through the glass once more. Sophia let out a breath she had been holding, glad that he had been successful. It was just then that Sophia noticed another man sitting in a cage nearby, chained up with an iron mask on his face. They didn't have enough time to pull off a full rescue, so she put her hand against his cell, promising that they would get him out of there and that they would come back for him.

"We'll come back for you, I promise," Barry spoke to the man in the iron mask who just nodded in response, placing his hand up against the glass.

A sudden chill ran down Sophia's spine and she turned around to see Zoom himself standing a few feet away from them. She withdrew her sword, the metal glinting in the light.

"It's not wise to make promises you can't keep, Flash."

"It's a good thing I'm here then," Sophia said, her eyes glazing over in a bright illuminous silver.

"Run, Barry."

* * *

What happened next was all a blur.

Sophia flew at Zoom with a speed she had not known she possessed, her sword colliding with his chest in a powerful blow, the energy emitting off her electrifying the air around them. She created a massive force-field around herself and Zoom, preventing him from leaving, giving Barry the opportunity to run out of there with Jesse to safety.

"You made a mistake coming here," Zoom said.

"I don't think so. I showed you mercy last time we fought and believe me, the day has come now where you will feel my wrath!"

"I will end you, and then I will end those that you love," Zoom spat.

"Not if I kill you first."

The two bodies collided with such force and power that the energy she had built up to keep them caged was torn apart as lightning and electricity surged, breaking down the barrier in an instant. But The Shadow wasn't focused on that. She was just focused on keeping Zoom distracted long enough for Barry and the others to get away. Whether she killed Zoom today was another question entirely. But as long as they made it out alive, as long as they made it out safe, then she wouldn't feel like a failure.

Her sword sliced through the thick black leather of his suit, blood spurting from the wound she had bestowed upon him. His demonic claws reached out to grab her, missing her by an inch, but the long sharp nails left little cuts splayed across her cheek as she ducked out of the way.

Her body twisted elegantly, her foot flying up in a roundhouse kick that met Zoom's jaw. She was surprised that he hadn't moved out of the way fast enough. She wondered if he too was having flashbacks to the day they had fought so eloquently nearly a year ago.

Zoom was fast in his next move, dodging her blasts of energy with ease before running out of the cave and into the forest, finding that it was a better playing field. The Shadow was not far behind, flying out there to meet him on the grounds.

Zoom was fast in his next attack. He ran in a circle, his feet pounding heavily on the forest floor. He twisted his body slightly, angling his throw, a bolt of blue lightning sizzling off his fingertips as it flew towards Sophia who had just flown out of the cave, the lightning striking her chest and sending her flying into the dense green foliage of the forest around them. She groaned as she sat up, blinking her eyes rapidly to try and clear her vision, but the pain was so excruciating that she couldn't move for a good twenty seconds, which was too long in her book.

Shadow threw blast after blast, each missing their mark as Zoom ran between the trees for cover. It was then in that moment that she realised it wasn't just an advantage for him. She smirked, flying up into the sky, just hovering above the trees before her eyes began to glow and ethereal silver, shooting out laser like vision at the ground before her. The energy sliced cleanly through the bark of the trees, causing them to collapse on top of each other, one of them managing to snag Zoom's leg.

He grunted in pain, trying to pull himself out but the tree trunk was just too heavy and the pain kept him disorientated for a second too long.

Sophia flew down to his level, her form standing over him menacingly. She was just about to bring her sword down and finally end this war between Zoom and what seemed like every good force on this planet and the next when a hand phased through her chest.

She gasped, pain shooting in all directions of her body in that very moment. She looked down the moment after the hand had come out to see blood pooling on the front of her suit, staining it as it trickled down her chest.

"Guess I got the last laugh, Shadow," Zoom spoke as she collapsed to the ground, his body still laying where it had been stuck to standing behind her as he watched her take her last breaths. _Time Remnant_ she thought, watching as one of the Zoom's disappeared into the air, the other not wasting a second to leave the scene to see if he could salvage his mission in destroying The Flash.

Sophia gasped her mind racing as she tasted blood in her mouth. Her thoughts quickly went to her life here on Earth, her parents who loved her so very much, her closest friend Shiro who she felt terrible for leaving in the dark as she lay here bleeding out. They then went to the last person she wanted her thoughts to be of. _Barry_. She wanted to close her eyes and just picture him holding her, picture him whispering sweet nothings, telling her that he loved her. She just wanted to remember the beauty of his eyes if it was the last thing she ever saw.

"Sophia," Barry called out. He had run back after sending the others through the portal to make sure that she was alright. He didn't want to leave her behind.

"Barry," She let out a choked whisper, unable to move from where she had fallen on the ground.

"No, no, no, not you, god, please," Barry cried as he ran to her side. He balanced her head on his lap, his hands moving to apply pressure on her wound.

"You're going to be alright," He told her looking down at her face. She was still beautiful as she lay there, bleeding out in his arms. He knew that this wasn't his Sophia that his love was back home safe and sound, but it felt so real. _It was real_.

"I couldn't stop him," She coughed, struggling to breathe. "He was just too fast."

"You're okay, I promise, you're going to be okay, I'm-," Barry was shaking as he held onto her, it reminded him of when his mother had died, and he couldn't handle it.

"Barry, my sweet, Barry," Sophia whispered, using whatever energy she had left to bringing up her hand to touch the side of his face. His tears were falling onto her face as well and she couldn't have that. She wiped it away with lazy swipe of her thumb, feeling her hand beginning to numb as it slipped down from his cheek, leaving a trail of her blood on his skin.

"No, you can't die."

"I'm so happy you came to this Earth, you gave me another chance, you made me a better person," Sophia whimpered, closing her eyes to remain strong through the pain. Each moment she felt more weightless and she knew she would be gone soon. "I-I love you, I love you so much Barry, and _I've always loved you_."

Though Barry knew she was talking about his Earth-2 self, he couldn't help but take this whole thing to heart. So when her eyes fluttered shut as she took one last breath and her body became limp, he screamed, crying out into the void and promising the universe that he would end Zoom's life no matter what it took.

* * *

 _Earth 1_

Sophia had spent the better part of her day fighting an infuriating Meta human downtown, managing a crisis down at the hospital, and then coming back to Star Labs to assist Jay and Caitlin in repairing the breach so that it was stable.

Though the last on her list was her priority, it was the one job that she reached at the end of her day. Caitlin and Jay had things under control, but it wasn't until she got back that they were able to get it up and running. She used her energy to hold up the beams as well as recharge them. The breach had opened up once more, stable like it had been previously compared to the mess of a blue mass it had been the previous morning when it collapsed.

Sophia held her breath as they waited, it was nearly hitting the 48 hour mark and her heart was beating desperately in her chest. She just needed Barry and Cisco to return safely. She wouldn't be able to move on if they didn't. She knew that Barry wanted her to stay here, but if something went wrong and they were lost, she was going in there to save them.

Joe could sense her unease and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

"They're going to make it."

"They have to," Iris whispered.

"It's Barry and Cisco. If anyone can do it, they can," Caitlin said, putting on a brave smile.

"And now, we wait."

It seemed as though their words had triggered something, because not even a moment later, two figures came flying through the breach. Cisco stumbled onto the platform, his arms around a younger girl who they assumed was Jesse. Jesse's face was pale and smeared with dirt and grime. Sophia grimaced at the sight, trying not to think about the torture the poor girl had suffered through as a hostage of Zoom.

"Oh, thank god," Cisco breathed out. "Quick, she needs medical attention," Cisco said, his arms around Jesse the only reason she was still standing.

Caitlin and Iris had rushed to Jesse's side, helping her sit down while Caitlin checked her out. She would do a proper assessment upstairs, but they were all waiting in anticipation for Barry and Harry to get back.

"What happened? I thought Jesse and Harry were going to stay on Earth 2?" Sophia asked.

"Plans changed," Cisco said, catching his breath. It had been a wild rush in travelling back and his eyes didn't leave the breach, his eyes painfully waiting for Barry and Harry to return.

"Where's Barry?" Sophia asked.

"He was right behind me, him and Harry, they should be here soon," Cisco said, his eyes darting over to a nervous looking Sophia. He gave her a strained smile and his eyes then met Caitlin and Joe's and he was so glad that he was home.

"Come on, Barry," Sophia whispered, closing her eyes and praying.

The wormhole made another noise, the blob lurching as two more forms came tumbling out. Barry was there, in his red suit with Harry hanging onto his arm.

"You did it!"

"You made it," Sophia breathed out. She didn't waste a second in running forward and tackling Barry in a hug, her eyes not yet noticing the pained expression on his face and the blood that was stained on his cheek and the gloves of his suit.

"Barry, what happened?" She asked in concern. He looked like he was devastated and it made her worry about what had taken place on Earth-2, but whatever happened, he was home and he was safe, so they could talk about it later.

"I-," Barry began, but as he turned his head, in the corner of his eye he saw the unspeakable happen. Jay was standing in front of the breach, about to close it once and for all when a black claw came out, phasing through his chest and dragging him back through the breach. It happened in slow motion, everyone turning to scream at the sight, Caitlin's wails the most prominent of them all.

"No, no, no!"

"Jay!"

"No!" Barry stumbled backwards as he watched the breach closing up on itself before promptly collapsing into Sophia's arms, the shock of losing two people so close to him in a matter of minutes becoming too much for his heart to handle.

* * *

 **A/N –** I was debating splitting this chapter into two, but I thought since I won't be able to post a new one for a little while (a few weeks at the very least), I thought I would post this chapter as a whole so you can all enjoy it.

Please, please, leave me a review with your thoughts on this chapter. I know a lot of you wanted to see certain things from Sophia's E-2 counterpart, so I hope that this was what you wanted, and honestly, this was the only way I could see things playing out.

We'll pick up from the same spot in the next chapter, hope that you all enjoyed it and my take on this E-2 adventure. I know it's very different to what's in the show, and I mean, that's what makes this fanfiction right? I still hope that you all enjoyed it. I was experimenting with this chapter for a while now and I figured you guys might enjoy a change of pace.

Again, thanks for all the lovely reviews last chapter, and to all the new faves/follows, welcome to the story!

 **Replies:**

RHatch89: Thank you, hope you enjoy this one.

ImsebastianstanButter: Thank you so much! Would love to hear your thoughts on this one.

Beachgirlsrule: Thank you! Yes, yes, very exciting stuff here, hope you like E-2 Sophia! Lemme know what you think.

Guest 1: YES, EARTH 2 IS HERE AND ITS BETTER THAN EVER.

LMarie99: Thank you so much, especially for the love and enthusiasm. I think before all the drama happened, E-2 Sophia and Iris were a mad BROTP, but even though shit happened, Iris still cares for her deep down as a friend, and does her best to help her (we might touch on this more later on in the season as well!)

Guest 2: Thank you so much, I am so glad that you're loving it. Hope that you enjoy this one, I was super proud of it and I hope you all enjoy it.

Dreamliner: Thanks heaps! Everyone's super excited about E-2 Sophia, and this chapter is so Sophia-centric it's AMAZING. I realised the last few chapters it feels like it's been focused more on other characters, and I am so glad this chapter inspired me once more and it's more about Sophia.

Jason Hunter: Thank you for your multiple reviews. We'll see how it goes, but a Flash s3 would be fun to write, I'll just have to see how it fits in with my schedule, but it's definitely in the cards. Haha, I guess we'll see what happens when S3 comes around. That could definitely be a thing that happens. And I guess all your E-2 questions are answered now that this chapter is over. Hope you liked it.

Grace003: The title means Sapphire Storm, it's latin. It's meant to sort of fit in with the whole summary as well as this season being deadly like a storm… lol that was my general gist… also it sounded pretty cool.

HannahBananasxx: Thank you so much. I'm so glad that you like them and they come across as such a sweet couple.

Turtlekier42: Thank you so much. Yeah definitely slow in the action, but this chapter really brought it! Hope you enjoy it.

Til next time.

Heroherondale


	17. Rememberance

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"No!"

Sophia stood there frozen in her place. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, the pounding noise of the organ beating so loud that it drowned out Caitlin's cries. She latched onto Barry's hand, squeezing it tight as she slowly turned her face to look at him in shock. The moment her eyes met his, she knew that it hadn't been a dream, it hadn't been some sick trick. It had really happened. Jay Garrick had just been murdered before their very eyes by Zoom.

Sophia closed her eyes, biting down on the inside of her cheek to keep her emotions at bay. They had been so close to ending it, so close to finishing this war with minimum casualties only to have one more innocent soul ripped away from them. She blinked her eyes open when Barry squeezed her hand once more pulling them aside and towards Caitlin who was distressed.

"He's not dead. He's not dead," Catlin cried, her knees giving way as she collapsed onto the ground in front of where the breach had just sealed shut. "He's not."

"Caitlin," Cisco called out her name, but she was so caught up with what just happened that his voice was a mere whisper.

"He's not dead!"

"Caitlin."

"This isn't happening. This isn't happening again," Caitlin wailed, feeling her heart drop into her stomach.

"Hey, I got you," Cisco said in a soothing tone. Cisco's heart broke for his friend. He crouched down next to her sitting on the floor and put his arm under hers, pulling her up from the floor and helping her move over to a seat in the room.

"Open it up," Barry said, his eyes darting to Harry. "Open it, I have to go back."

"Allen…"

"I need to go back."

"I can't do that."

"Open it up!" Barry yelled, throwing his hands into the air.

Sophia grabbed his hand once more, forcing him to look at her. "Barry, that's the thing. We can't open the breach. It's closed." She felt sick to her stomach at the look of desperation on his face when he realised that they were all closed.

"The breaches are closed, all of them."

"Why can't we just open one of them?" Joe asked.

"The quark matter energy that we used to seal the breaches, it prevents them from being opened, ever again," Harry explained. "There's no going back to our world."

"Wait," Jesse spoke up from where she was leaning against a railing. "We're trapped here for good?" She asked, with wide eyes.

"Yes," Harry replied.

"No, we can't just let Zoom get away with this," Barry said. "He killed them both, he can't- he can't get away with this," Barry breathed out in frustration. "There's got to be something we can do." He pleaded.

"There's not. Not this time," Harry said. "It's over."

And with that silence fell in the room.

* * *

"How's she doing?" Barry asked as he walked into the med bay where Caitlin was sleeping peacefully on the bed. He had just spent the last few minutes with Sophia, the two of them holding each other after what had just happened. The only reason they had broken apart was because Harry asked if Sophia could check up on Jesse considering that Caitlin wasn't in the right state of mind to do so, and even then Barry was reluctant to let go of her.

"Not good," Cisco said, his eyes looking down at his friend with sympathy. "We tried to get her to go home, but she refused to leave, so, you know, I just sat with her until she fell asleep."

"First Ronnie, now Jay."

"Yeah," Cisco scoffed. "I'm afraid of what this double dose of grief is gonna do to her. I mean, she's pretty shell-shocked."

"She'll be fine. Snow's strong. She'll get past this," Harry said, walking into the room.

Barry nodded, believing it as well. If anyone could get through this it would be Caitlin, and they would be there to support her along the way.

"But in the meantime, I would not say anything to her about her counterpart from my Earth," Harry said. "That goes for Joe, Iris and Sophia too."

"Why?"

"Because you don't want to influence their reality in ways that should not be influenced," Harry said.

"Like in the same way as when Barry time-travels?" Cisco asked.

"Exactly, but also, what's the point? Those people are not your people. Their lives are not your lives. Never were, never will be. Bury it, move on."

It was easy for Harry to say that, but Barry felt like he was going to be sick. Just the thought of moving on, of throwing it in the past was enough to make him feel faint. Barry blinked, tilting his head uncomfortably as he tried to shake the memory of holding Shadow dying in his arms. How could he just forget that? How could he bury it and move on. He wasn't sure he was capable of doing it, but hearing that it could have implications in their timeline told him that he had to try and be strong.

"Yes?"

"Yeah. That I can do," Cisco exhaled, fiddling with the button of his jacket.

"Allen?"

Barry nodded reluctantly.

* * *

So that's what Barry tried to do.

He tried to bury it, all of it. All the anguish and pain and wonder that he had experienced when he was on Earth-2. He only lasted about a week before he caved and told Sophia briefly about what happened. Initially when she had asked about all the blood he had made up some crappy excuse, not wanting to burden her with the trauma of what he had endured, but also, not wanting to relive the heartbreaking sight that he had to behold that day.

But nevertheless, Barry decided that Sophia should know what happened on Earth-2. He didn't go into the full detail of what happened, but he did mention meeting her counterpart, how she was so different, yet so similar. He felt guilty for leaving her behind, he felt guilty for her death, and he told Sophia, breaking down as he did so. Harry's words rang through his mind once more, reminding him that it wasn't their life, that it was other people, but he would have dreams about it, he would think about it all the time, it was like he had lost her all over again.

It was just too close to home, after what happened with his mother. He wasn't even sure how he managed to last this long without cracking. He figured it was the recurrent nightmares that got to him in the end. It still felt so real, so raw.

"When I saw her laying there, bleeding out, I just, I couldn't help but panic, thinking it was you. I mean it was you, but it wasn't _you_." Barry ran a hand through his hair, gripping the ends as he closed his eyes, trying to rid the image of his girlfriend's dead doppelganger. "I held her in my arms as she died… just like my mom," Barry's voice cracked at the confession. "I just- I kept thinking it was you."

"Barr, it's okay, I'm okay," Sophia said, rubbing soothing circles on his hands. "I know it's hard, but you can't let it consume your thoughts all the time. You have to try and move on. It's just- there's nothing we can do, as much as we want to. For both her, and for Jay," Sophia sighed. She felt even worse for Barry who had lost two people in the span of a few hours. She was so tired of this never ending drama and destruction that was ploughing through their lives. But she just had to have hope for better days and for a brighter future.

She felt like a hypocrite for saying it because as soon as he revealed that they weren't in fact together on E-2 it made the hair on her skin stick up, and her heart pound nervously in her chest. He told her that the Earth 2 Barry had married Iris, and that their relationship was complicated and confusing. She knew that it didn't matter, none of it really did because it wasn't their life but still, a seed of doubt was buried in her chest and she couldn't shake it.

"I'm sorry for telling you, I know I shouldn't, but I just- I need to get it off my chest," Barry said, letting out a huff of air as he leaned back against the pillows on their bed.

She was glad that he told her. It made things a lot more clear, like the reason why he was always around, or leaving lingering kisses on her cheek every chance he got, or bringing her into a crushing hug, as though he was making sure that she was real.

"Barry, you don't have to apologise, and you don't have to feel guilty. By the sounds of it, _she_ wanted to do something with her life, and she helped you save Jesse and she got you home safe, so in my book, she was a hero. Let's remember her as one." Her soft smile was enough to wash his worries away.

"Thank you, I- just thank you," Barry said. It was relieving to have gotten it off his chest. "I love you," Barry whispered, his eyes finding her brown gems that he could get lost into.

"I love you, too," Sophia whispered, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his lips. Barry's hands found their way to her waist, pulling her into his lap as they sat on their bed and lost themselves in each other's warm touch.

* * *

The next few weeks were weird.

Everyone felt a bit on edge. Their encounter with Zoom had not yet come to an end, and it was beginning to become difficult to put things in the past. They were still mourning for Jay, and they were trying to get Harry and Jesse settled into their new place, and the fact that Earth-1 would now be their new home. Everyone was feeling down in the dumps, but they were quickly distracted with a Meta that called himself King Shark. He was literally, a giant shark.

It was amazing, yet terrifying at the same time. The Flash and Sapphire took him head on with the help of their team, as well as Lila and Diggle. It was a nice surprise to see their friends from Star City that they haven't heard from in a while.

But soon enough that distraction had come and gone, and they were left with this silent emptiness once more.

Sophia was then lucky enough to escape the weariness of Central City by heading to Metropolis for a few days to catch up with Anna and Clark who seemed to be doing well. She even had the opportunity to see Lois again which was always a pleasure. She was just sad that it ended so soon and she was back in Central City feeling glummer than ever.

But Barry had decided that he wasn't going to leave things the way they were. He was going to do whatever it took to defeat Zoom.

"I need to apologise to you all," Barry began and Sophia regarded him with confusion.

"Last year I made a choice to go back in time and save my mother, and that choice had a lot of consequences that will haunt me for the rest of my life, just like I know it haunts all of you too. Zoom, Jay's death…" Barry paused, "It's all because of me, but I own those choices. We're the ones who opened the door to Earth-2, we're the ones who brought Zoom here, but we are also the ones who are gonna stop him."

"How?" Harry spoke up, taking a step forward. "How are gonna stop Zoom, Allen?"

"I don't know yet," Barry admitted. "But those breaches aren't closed forever, and we're not done with Earth-2. Jay's death was not in vain. We will meet Zoom again, and the next time, I will beat him, whoever that monster is."

* * *

Though weeks passed, the determination that Barry had inspired in his friends had not diminished one bit.

Sophia had trained harder than before, helping not only him but Cisco as well to develop his powers. If they were going to do this, they needed to harness Cisco's powers as much as they could. From what Barry and Cisco couldn't tell her about Earth-2, his doppelganger named Reverb had been incredibly powerful, they hoped that with time, Cisco would make it there too.

But before that could happen, they needed to bring Barry up to speed (pun intended).

That's how Sophia found herself standing before the beautiful sight of a large canyon. She hadn't even known a place like this existed on the outskirts of Central City. It was a breath-taking sight, and she wished that they had all come on warmer terms for it would have been a lovely spot to relax by the waterfall. But alas, things weren't ever going to be that easy. At least now right now, they had a mission to complete.

"Whoo-hoo-hoo," Cisco whistled as they moved towards the edge of the cliff, leaning over in the slightest, just to get a good look at the waterfall and the cliff side that seemed to go on for miles and miles.

"Uh, it didn't look this deep on the map."

"That's cause maps are flat."

Sophia laughed at this but quickly stopped when she received a playful glare from Barry in return. She bit her lip in amusement and listened in quietly as Harry spoke. She was used to terrifying heights due to her flying, but she was sure that Barry was happy he stayed on the ground most of the time.

"This is like, 1000 feet deep," Barry said, a frown on his face.

"Well, you want to get faster, right?" Sophia asked. "This is what you have to do."

"Yeah, maybe plummeting to your death is the motivation you need."

"So to reach escape velocity, you're gonna have to go, that fast," Cisco explained, pointing to a diagram on his tablet.

"Well, that fast is impossible. I can promise you that."

"Ah, _Nothing in life is promised except death_ ," Harry quoted.

"Edgar Allan Poe?" Barry guessed.

"Kanye West," Harry said causing Sophia to burst out into laughter.

"Are you serious?" She asked bewildered to which Harry just nodded casually. "That's insane."

"If it makes you feel any better, Evel Knievel cleared a line of cars that was twice this long, and he didn't even have superpowers, unless you count that sweet-ass ride."

"Do you hear yourself?" Caitlin asked Cisco incredulously.

"What?!" Cisco exclaimed. He rolled his eyes before addressing Barry once more. "Look, you're gonna be fine. I'm 80% sure of it," Cisco said.

"Okay," Barry drawled. He wasn't sure that he liked those statistics.

"76. Like a strong 72."

"Cisco, really?" Sophia frowned.

"I can't stop, _help_."

"If you don't feel ready, you probably shouldn't do it," Caitlin said.

"Not helpful guys," Sophia sighed.

"Look, Zoom's still out there. And once I find a way back to Earth-2, I have to be faster than him. And, I mean, right now… I wasn't even fast enough to save Jay. I have to try."

"Barry, you got struck by lightning and survived and you now have super speed. You're the flash. You're a walking talking enigma, and this cliff isn't going to stop you. You can do this. You just need to believe in yourself," Sophia told him.

Barry took in a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to do. He had done something slightly similar back on Earth-2 when he ran into Zoom's hideout, but even that was a feat for him. He was sure that the adrenaline had aided him in making that final jump, whereas now, he was lacking in that department.

But nonetheless, Barry focused, clearing his mind before throwing everything he had into his speed, running like the wind.

"He's gonna make it," Caitlin said in disbelief.

"No!" Cisco yelled, but Sophia was on it already. She darted from her spot, flying down the steep cliffs to catch Barry just in time. Barry was quick to hold onto her, letting her take the reigns as she brought them back to solid ground.

"Oh, damn."

"This is why you're lucky your girlfriend can fly," Cisco mentioned with a snicker.

"Up for round 2?" Sophia asked Barry. She knew that if he was going to get anywhere, then he really needed to push himself.

Barry let out a deep breath and nodded. "Let's do this."

* * *

After a long morning of training and freefalling, Barry was done with his efforts for the day. It wasn't much longer til the team headed back to Star Labs.

"So how'd it go?" Jesse asked as they arrived back.

"Well, he's not a red splat on the side of a mountain."

"That's our new definition of success?" Iris asked.

"It's one of them."

"So, you didn't make the canyon jump?"

"No," Barry sighed dejectedly. "What else can we try?"

"A bigger canyon?" Cisco asked. "Okay, fine, no more canyons."

"I know I can crack this. I've just been going about it wrong. I need to find my leg up. Have we factored in drag?"

"Wells, can we rerun the simulation?"

"Let it go for now."

"Zooms still out there," Barry pointed out with a frustrated sigh. "He's terrorising a whole world full of people, your world. You know I'm not doing this for fun."

"Barry, we've been working on this all week. You're tired, we're tired."

"Yeah, what we need is some downtime."

"Downtime leads to increased productivity, ergo, we have to have fun."

'And the best way to have fun is for us to go out to the club," Cisco suggested. "Am I right, Team Flash?" Let's get turnt!" Cisco cheered, silence meeting him in response. He sighed dramatically and rubbed his temples. "No, but seriously, we need a break. I'm going insane."

"You know, I think Cisco's right, and if I'm saying we need a break, then you know it's serious," Caitlin said.

"All right, let's go out tonight."

"Oh, thank god," Sophia let out a breathy laugh causing everyone to look at her in amusement except for Barry who was frowning.

"What?!"

" _Well_ , you are kind of a workaholic, Barry," Sophia admitted sheepishly, biting her lip and giving him shy eyes that she knew he wouldn't get angry with. He knew what she was doing and rolled his eyes playfully before agreeing they would all go out.

" _Sweet_."

"Oh, yeah. Can I go?" Jesse asked hopefully only to be shot down by her father.

"Over my dead body," Harry said from his seat, not even bothering to look up.

" _Look_ , just cause you're stuck in this lab all day doesn't mean I should be too," Jesse countered, crossing her arms in a sassy fashion.

" _Burn_ ," Cisco whispered to Sophia who nodded in appreciation.

"Over _my rotting corpse_."

"Look, what happened to trying new things, meeting new people?" Jesse asked. "You said I should start a life here, right? And Zoom's over there, and we're over here, so there's nothing to worry about."

"There's always something to worry about," Harry argued.

"Okay, well, you said Barry and Sophia are good people and I should get to know them, as well as the rest of the team," Jesse said, twisting her fathers works. She smirked when she noticed his expression falter in the slightest, watching as he readjusted his glasses nervously as he tried to come up with a counter argument.

"I did."

"Yeah and you know they'll keep me safe no matter what. It's the Flash and Sapphire. I literally couldn't be in safer hands," Jesse said logically. She kept her eyes trained on her father and she could see his defences slowly crumbling. A few more words and a bit more logic and he would agree to it. "Look, I have a life to life, Dad, and a whole new world to explore. Please?"

"Fine. But if you're gonna go, you should take protection."

"Oh, Dad, I don't need... I don't know what you thought I was gonna be doing, but I…" She trailed off when her father held up his watch from E-2. She knew that he could use it to track her and it would also be a safety mechanism for herself in case anything went wrong. "Oh, right. I mean, is it necessary? It's kind of you know…"

"Or I could always build you an inescapable daughter cube," Harry said.

"Funny." She poked her tongue at him. "You know I'd get out though, right?" Jesse teased. When he didn't budge she sighed and held out her wrist. "All right, fine. I'll do it."

"Thank you."

Once Jesse was done there, she moved off with the rest of the team to get ready to head out for a night of partying, something she was looking forward to.

* * *

As Sophia stepped into the club, she could barely hear the clack of her high heels, the sound drowned out by the ostentatiously loud music pumping through the speakers. She hadn't been on the club scene in a long time and it reminded her of her college years.

She tugged at the bottom of her black dress, hoping that it would stretch out a bit longer. She hadn't realised that all this time spent training she had gained some weight in the form of muscle, and the dress that used to be loose around her thighs was now feeling quite tight, showing off her form a bit more than she would have liked. But it seemed that Barry didn't have a problem with that because since they arrived he couldn't keep his hands off her.

Barry's hand was in her own and she followed him as he led their group to the bar after they had danced a bit of the night away. Seeing as though he couldn't drink, he was their designated driver for the night. It would also mean that Sophia would be able to let loose a little without having to deal with looking over her shoulder every five seconds. She just hoped that she didn't get as drunk as she did back when they had gone to dive bars to track down Peek-a-boo all those months ago. It had nearly been a year now and it was insane to think about how time had flown by so fast.

She was nursing a glass of scotch at the bar, sitting next to Barry as they watched their friends move on the dance floor. Sophia laughed wildly when she saw Cisco pull some crazy moves and it was honestly the best thing that she had seen all night.

"Promise me you won't ever dance like that," Barry laughed.

"Oh, I can promise you that. I have better moves than Ramon over there," Sophia said, her eyes glancing back over at her boyfriend.

"Trust me, I know," Barry said, looking at her with lustful eyes.

"You can't do that," Sophia berated, giving him a look.

"Do what?" He asked, a mischievous glint in his eye as he took a shuffled closer towards her, resting one hand on her back, the other on his drink.

"Look at me like that… _we're in public_ , Barry," Sophia tutted, downing the rest of her drink in one go.

"You're the one who started it first. I mean, come on, look at that dress," He pointed out with a laugh. He was glad that they had this downtime, he missed this part of his life, but also his relationship. He couldn't remember the last time that he went on a proper date with Sophia without it having been interrupted by a Meta, or their new superhero life. It was a nice change of pace.

"It's not my fault, it used to fit. It's all this extra working out."

"Oh, I'm not complaining sweetheart, trust me."

They were both grinning and Sophia was about to suggest that they both move to the dance floor, wanting an excuse to be closer to him when a gust of wind trailed through the club. She blinked, looking at Barry in confusion, noticing her had felt it too. It felt similar to when he was running around.

People started screaming a moment later and both jumped up in panic, looking around to see what had happened. Barry's eyes had caught the perpetrator just as they were leaving the club and he didn't waste a second in running after them.

"It was The Flash!" A patron yelled out as he grabbed the wall to catch his fall.

"My wallet's gone," Another guy called out as he patted his pockets, trying to find it.

"Someone took my purse!" A young woman cried. "It has my new lipstick in it that I just bought," She pouted.

Cisco, Iris and Jesse had just clambered over to Sophia, everyone wearing looks of uncertainty. It was then that Caitlin came back after having used the rest room. "Someone just stole my necklace," Caitlin told them. "I was just washing my hands and I felt something on my neck and a second later it was gone."

Sophia looked to her side, noticing Barry was gone, gulping before she looked back at the others with a worried expression.

"If that wasn't Barry," Sophia spoke lowly. "Who the hell was it?"

* * *

"Okay, I got it. Thanks, man."

"Hey."

"Hey, excuse me," Barry said, pushing through the police tape on the crime scene.

"What happened last night?" Joe asked as he led Barry further into the club. "I know you didn't rob these people."

"No, I was bored. Thought I'd have some fun," Barry said dryly.

"Well, look, whoever did this, they've got everyone within a ten-block radius in under six minutes," Joe said. This hadn't been the only call he received from dispatch on last night's shift. "You couldn't catch them?"

"No, this speedster's faster than me, I guess." Barry glowered when the words left his lips. Just thinking about another speedster out there, one who was faster than him made his blood boil. Not because they were faster, but because they were clearly using their powers for evil.

"Unbelievable," Joe breathed out, rubbing the side of his temple with his fingers. It had been a long morning at work and it seemed like there was no chance of it slowing down.

"This is not good."

"I know, don't worry. We'll figure it out. We always do."

"Joe, I don't want people thinking The Flash is a petty thief," Barry said. There had already been News Reports assuming that the speedster was in fact him, and it made him upset more than anything to think that after all this time, after all he had sacrificed for this City that they could turn on him so quickly, and label him as a petty thief.

"Well, we need to get to work squashing those rumours before they spread. I know just the person for the job," Joe said with a grin, reaching for his phone to dial Iris's number.

* * *

"Fun night? Before all the chaos broke loose?" Harry asked as Jesse walked into his lab. She dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a workout tee and the slight sheen of sweat on her forehead told him that she had gone for her regular morning jog around the Star Labs facility. It was something she had begun since they arrived on this Earth, and though he didn't like her leaving the facility by herself, he knew he had to give her some space, and she was only just outside. But he was her father, and he still worried.

Jesse didn't say anything, only brought up the watch that was still on her wrist as she flipped open a hidden compartment and pressed a button, a voice recording beginning to play.

Harry frowned as he knew what would be coming next.

" _Then I would do anything to get you back, including killing a man."_

"Tell me I'm not hearing this right," Jesse said, looking at her father with pleading eyes.

"No, that's true," Harry said, his thoughts flashing back to when he had killed the Turtle to get a sample of his brain matter to be able to concoct a way to defeat Zoom. Though it had proved useless in the end, he didn't regret doing everything he had so far in hopes of saving his daughter. "Zoom had you. Zoom needed The Flash's speed. And it was him or you. And I was not going to lose you."

"You know, you were my hero," Jesse spoke softly. "My dad, the brilliant scientist who could accomplish anything he put his mind to. He taught me I could never dream too big. But now…. Now you're a killer, and I barely recognise you at all," Jesse choked out, forcing her tears to remain at bay.

"Jesse…"

"No, no, no. Don't… don't worry. I'm not going far," Jesse said as she left the room in a hurry, wiping at her tears furiously with the back of her hand as she tried to forget the fact that her life was in shambles.

* * *

"Where did this speedster even come from?" Sophia asked, balancing her sushi perfectly on her chopsticks as she ate lunch. She had been flying around all morning, taking down petty criminals, even saving a few cats from trees and she had forgotten to fuel up with breakfast, leaving her starving by the time midday had arrived.

"I don't know," Barry sighed.

He had been working on this case all day and he was still coming up short. There was just nothing about this situation that made sense.

"All I know is that blur made 60 smackeroos off me," Cisco groaned. He had only realised that he too was missing cash when he had made it home that night, checking his wallet to find that he had nothing left inside. He also noted that his cat key chain that Sophia had gifted to him was missing from his wallet, and it pissed him off to no end to know that the speedster had stolen something that was only worth sentimental value, just because they could.

"Maybe it's another one of Zoom's henchmen somehow?" Caitlin suggested.

"The breaches are closed and the only other way they could have become a speedster is if they had been affected by the particle accelerator. But in that case, they would have appeared sooner," Sophia said, her words slightly mumbled because of the large piece of sashimi she had just stuffed into her mouth. She swallowed, giving everyone looks of apology before the conversation continued.

"Exactly. We'd have to have seen them in action before. I'm not saying it makes sense, I'm just agreeing with Sophia. That's the only other way to become a speedster," Barry said.

"Actually, there's another way," Caitlin spoke up, catching them all off guard. "It's called Velocity-9."

"Ooh, that's a sexy-ass name. What is it?" Cisco asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"It's a speed drug," Caitlin explained. "Jay has taken it before."

"What? How could you not tell me this?" Barry said, frowning as he questioned Caitlin.

"I promised Jay I wouldn't," Caitlin defended. "It's not safe."

"Why?"

"Because Jay knew how dangerous this drug is," Harry spoke up. "I should know, Barry. Snow and I worked on it together."

"Guys, I have been busting my butt out there, pushing myself to the limit, trying to get better, trying to be faster and you're telling me that there's been something this whole time that could have helped me?" Barry was getting angrier by the second. "This could have helped me take down Zoom. It could have helped me save Earth-2 Sophia, save Jay," Barry said, clenching his jaw. He looked away from his girlfriend purposely, unable to meet her gaze.

Sophia felt terrible for Barry. She knew that he was still harbouring guilt over what had happened, but it was something that could only heal with time. Hearing that there was some speed drug that could enhance his abilities was definitely interesting, but then again, with any drug there were side effects. Who knows what it could do to Barry in the long run. Would he become addicted? Would it affect his health, his overall speed if he didn't take it?

"Jay was sick," Caitlin said. "The drug that he took to regain his speed was also causing cellular degeneration."

"It was killing him," Sophia whispered. She looked down at the sushi left over in her take-away container before pushing it away, scrunching up her nose at the thought of eating at a time like this. She had definitely lost her appetite at the news that one of their friends had been dying to due a drug-induced illness.

Caitlin nodded solemnly. "I tried to help, I tried to find a cure, but in all my experiments, the effects were just temporary. The V-9 is deadly."

"Why not tell me this? Why keep me in the dark?" Barry asked.

Caitlin was about to reply, but Sophia stopped her, holding her hand up when they noticed that Cisco was walking around aimlessly in the room, his eyes almost non responsive.

"I think he's vibing," Sophia said, eyes watching Cisco carefully.

"Are you okay?" Barry asked, placing a hand on Cisco's shoulder, bringing him back. "Did you vibe?"

"Uh…" Cisco was about to reply when his meta-human app alert went off.

"Meta-human," Cisco said. "Yeah, social media app for the win." He pulled his phone out of his pocked, clicking on the map and images to see who it was and where they were in the city. "Bad Flash is back!"

"Bad Flash… _what_?"

"No. I'm losing my touch over here." Barry was gone before Cisco could defend himself, throwing directions at him on the go. "He's coming up on Fifth and Everett. You can use the alley to cut him off."

* * *

"A lady speedster?" Cisco asked, giddy at the news. "It only took us two years, but we finally got one, a lady speedster. Hey here's a question for you, purely scientific, was she good-looking?"

"You know, I was a little busy getting my ass handed to me, so I didn't really notice," Barry said.

"Good answer," Sophia said, crossing her arms.

"Right, right," Cisco said. "But you know, next time, for science?"

"Cisco," Sophia warned.

"Alright, alright, backing off."

"But the question remains, who is she?" Joe asked. This speedster was responsible for at least over a dozen robberies in the last three days and he was getting tired of getting back to Captain Singh with no leads, no motive and no suspect.

"I have no idea."

"We could run her through the facial recognition."

"She had a mask on," Sophia reminded him.

"What was her suit like?"

"Hey!"

"Hey, it's a valid question."

"It is, actually. How was her suit constructed?" Harry asked.

"It was good. It was very good," Barry said and Sophia turned to look at him, tilting her head as she watched him choose his words carefully. She didn't know what came over her, but she was feeling a bit jealous. "It was like mine. It was made by somebody who understands the needs of a speedster."

"So that would be someone with access to tech and a lab."

"Oh, no. I'm having a very bad thought," Caitlin said. "When I designed V-9, I was having trouble formatting the extracellular matrix, so I called a colleague of mine at Mercury Labs for some assistance, Eliza Harmon."

"She knows how to make this speed drug?"

"No, I followed the protocols of information compartmentalisation," Caitlin said. "I only gave her three of the eight components necessary for V-9's structure."

"Okay, so she didn't have the full recipe," Joe concluded.

"Unless she reverse engineered her own V-9," Harry pointed out, taking his glasses off and pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Eliza's a genius, but that's way out of character for her."

"Well, it's worth taking a look."

"I'll go see her," Caitlin said.

"Hey, I'm coming too," Joe said, catching up with Caitlin.

"Great," Cisco said.

"I'm going to go and train. Want to join me?" Sophia turned to ask Barry.

"Sure."

* * *

"Knock-knock," Caitlin called as she opened the door to Eliza's lab, Joe following behind her. Caitlin looked around with a smile, everything just as she remembered it. She had to admit that leaving it behind was a hard decision. She had wanted to move on from that part of her life, but she knew that she could do more good for this city and for herself by being on Team Flash.

"Am I hallucinating, or is that disgraced ex-Mercury employee Caitlin Snow?" Eliza laughed, pushing her clear safety goggles onto her head.

"Eliza Harmon, burning the midnight oil," Caitlin said. "Don't you ever take a break?"

"Well, you know what they say, these thiocyanate ions won't bond themselves," Eliza joked.

"Hi," Joe said, sticking his hand out to shake Eliza's politely.

"Hi. Who is your handsome friend?" Eliza directed the question at Caitlin.

"Detective Joe West, ma'am."

"Detective?" Eliza questioned, a smile on her face, but Joe could see her mask cracking already. "What brings you around these parts?"

"Well, that's a funny story. You know how there's a speedster that's been wreaking havoc on the city?"

"Yeah, I heard The Flash went nuts," Eliza said, cringing. "Fame will do it to you. I guess some people can't handle the limelight, right?"

"Well, we happen to know it was someone else," Joe said pointedly.

"That's why we're here looking into this."

"Wow, how very Law and Order of you, Caitlin."

"Do you remember that formula that you were helping me with a few months ago?" Caitlin asked.

"Yeah, vaguely," Eliza said, trying to act nonchalant.

"We think that it was somehow involved?"

"How? What did you have me working on?" Eliza asked.

"It's classified, but let's just say it was some kind of enhancement, and we're afraid that my research was stolen."

"Not from this lab."

"Okay, between you and me, the place is pretty vulnerable. Ever since that break in a few months ago, some of us think McGee hasn't sufficiently stepped up security, but I kept my research on lock and destroyed the original when it was given back to you. But hey, you're free to look around my lab if you want," Eliza said, desperately trying to cover her tracks.

"I don't think that'll be necessary," Joe interjected.

"Sorry, I wish I could be more help," Eliza apologised.

"It's okay, it's kind of a relief."

"Will you call me if you hear anything though?" Eliza asked.

"Of course," Caitlin said. "That's what friends are for."

Joe and Caitlin were walking out of the building, unsure of what to do next.

"So what do you think?" Caitlin asked.

"For now, we take her at her word. But there was something fishy about that girl," Joe said. "I just can't put my finger on it."

* * *

"Again?"

"Another 10 reps. Come on you're The Flash, don't give up now," Sophia teased, sending a wink his way.

"Shouldn't we be training with our powers?" Barry asked.

"Look, if you want to build up strength and endurance to be able to use your powers better than you could before, then you really need to get those weights and cardio in," Sophia said as she pulled herself up on the metal pole once more, holding herself in a plank like position for as long as she could, feeling the burn of her muscles in her biceps work as she kept her body up in the air.

"I get that but do I really have to do it the normal way?" Barry complained once more. He was used to training hard, mostly cardio but Sophia had decided to throw in some weights, and he wasn't using his speed to do it, making it all the more painful as it lasted longer.

He had been fine when they had begun, but it was nearing the two hour mark and they were still here training, doing a full body work out. He knew his legs and arms would be like jelly tomorrow.

Sophia dropped down from the bar, her feet pounding on the floor as she became stationary.

"Time for some push ups, and I have just the thing to keep you motivated."

"As if your outfit isn't motivation enough," Barry mumbled to himself as he checked her out. She was wearing a fitted black sports bra with matching shorts that were tight, defining her legs in a lovely manner, her toned abdomen on display just for him. Her hair was out, and her cheeks flushed with a warm pink, the lightest of sheens decorating her forehead and upper arms. He hadn't realised just how toned his girlfriend had become in the last few months. Yes she had been fit before, but now she almost looked like a professional athlete or something of the sort.

"Come on, over here."

Sophia laid herself down on the tangerine yoga mat she had brought out earlier, her hair fanning around her head almost like a halo.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Push ups, and for every one you do, you get a kiss," Sophia smirked, pointing to her lips.

"Hmm, seems like I'm doing all the work, and you're having all the fun."

"We'll swap of course, after 10 reps," She said, a cheeky glint in her eye.

"Alright."

Barry moved on top of her, careful not to squish her, his hands planted firmly on the ground by her shoulders as he began to do the push ups.

"One." The first kiss was chaste, so fast it almost didn't happen.

"Two." The second lasted a bit longer.

"Three." The third kiss had Sophia's lips capturing Barry's for longer than before, her teeth sinking into his bottom lip.

"Four." And the fourth, let's just say after that, both had forgotten about their workout and were now tangled up in each other's arms, kissing each other passionately as they took advantage of the empty room.

* * *

"I'm so tired."

 _Oh, well, you've been pushing yourself too hard._

"No, not hard enough," Eliza growled. "I'm sick of always being passed over for the grant, for the promotion. I'm underpaid and understaffed and six months behind on my research. This is why I started all of this." She slammed her hand down on the bench in her lab, grimacing in pain when her fist radiated with pain upon the contact.

 _Your problem is you're too much of a perfectionist. You don't have to be. There's beauty in chaos._

"I don't have time for chaos. This was supposed to fix things and it ended up making it worse." She tilted her head to the side, an almost manic look in her eyes.

 _Oh, silly girl. You know it makes you feel better to blow off some steam._

"You will say anything for a fix. It's your fault we're hooked."

 _It's Caitlin's fault, if she didn't want us to find out what she was working on, she shouldn't have made it so damn easy._

Eliza pulled out her key, unlocking the cabinet that held the precious vials of V-9, disappointed to see that there was only one vial left once she had opened the drawer. She could feel her body flood with anxiety at the thought that this was the last dose, her breathing becoming rapid as she replied back to herself.

"There's not enough for both of us. We… we need to save it for an emergency."

 _You take it now, worry about getting more later. You'll thank me._

* * *

Sophia had now flipped Barry over, and was enjoying their little detour from the workout. She trailed kisses down his neck, her hands trailing down his body and to his waist when she felt something in his pocket. She pulled away, looking to see that she had pulled out a vial that was slipping out of the pocket of his sweatpants.

"Is this what I think it is?" Sophia asked looking back down at Barry who nodded, looking away with a guilty face.

"Did you take it?" She asked with wide eyes, pushing herself off him to stand up. He soon followed and shook his head, taking the vial out of her hands and holding it up to her eye level.

"I didn't take any, it's all in there."

"Good." Sophia let out a sigh of relief.

"Why shouldn't I take it?"

"It was killing Jay, that's why. It's a drug that could have all sorts of side effects and risks that we don't know about. It's unpredictable, that's why."

"But if the games already rigged, why can't I level the playing field?" Barry insisted. "If everyone else is cheating, how can… I want to be fast enough to stop Zoom and any speedster that tries to hurt my friends, that tries to hurt you."

"I told you Barry, I can take care of myself. You're letting what happened on Earth-2 cloud your judgement."

"I'm not," Barry said. "Shouldn't I be using everything in my power to do that?"

"Yes, you should. In _your_ power. Not this drug, not this thing that could kill you. Are you listening to yourself, Barry?"

Barry let out a huff, pinching the bridge of his nose. He couldn't stand the look of disappointment on her face. "Look, I'm just trying my best to do what's right."

"Then you'll know that you don't need a drug to enhance your speed. How do you think you got so far since you got your powers? You worked hard, you trained hard. It didn't matter how much you sweated, or bled, or wept, in the end, it was _you_ , it was your perseverance, and it was your dedication that made The Flash. You can do it, you just need to believe in yourself."

"I-," Barry began, but she cut him off.

"Ultimately, it's your decision. I'm not your keeper, I'm your partner and I'm your girlfriend, and as both of those people, I'm telling you not to do it. But if you do, that's your choice," Sophia said, flying out of the training room and leaving Barry behind, staring at the vial in his hands, wondering if it was all worth it in the end.

* * *

Sophia felt bad for being so harsh with Barry, but she couldn't get past the fact that he was going to take the Velocity-9 even after he knew about what it had done to Jay. He would end up killing himself if he took that drug, and she was helpless to stop him. If he wanted to do it, he would.

She cringed as she remembered her words from their argument.

They hadn't argued much in the past few months, what with their lives on the line. They were too busy trying to figure out how to defeat their enemy to have enough time to waste their energy on pointless arguments. But she knew better than to berate herself for it because it was a normal thing between couples that happened.

She sighed and slipped her feet into a pair of ballet flats, feeling more refreshed than before. She had let the steam of the shower loosen her muscles and clear her mind, knowing it had been a good decision to make before heading to the Cortex to see what developments had taken place.

"Are you okay?" Joe asked, noticing the sour look on Sophia's face, wondering if it had anything to do with the similar look Barry had given him not twenty minutes ago when they were talking back at the CCPD.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sophia gave him the best smile she could. "Any luck discovering anything about this mysterious speedster?"

"Still working on it, but…" Cisco's words were cut off a moment later as he disappeared from the spot. In the blink of an eye, Joe was gone as well and Sophia felt dread run through her blood.

Sophia knew that whoosh of air well enough to know it was a speedster. She was on guard a second later, and when the lady speedster came running back into the room, she threw a ball of energy at her, the blast catching her off guard and sending her stumbling as she ran around the room.

"Get down!" Sophia yelled at Caitlin who was also in the room.

Sophia turned on the spot once more, doing her best to guess where the speedster would move next, shooting a blast behind her, hitting her target. The speedster dressed in a mix of red and yellow slumped against the wall, but only for a second and before Sophia knew it, something sharp and heavy hit her head, knocking her out cold.

Caitlin watched with wide eyes as Sophia's form slumped to the ground, blood dripping from her forehead, as she lay unconscious. Her eyes then quickly darted to the speedster responsible and the large fire hydrant that had Sophia's blood splattered on it in her hand, watching as she tossed it to the side, the loud noise shocking her out of her frightened daze.

" _Hey, she's got us locked in the pipeline!"_

Caitlin could hear Cisco and Joe yelling on the comm. but ignored it as she waited for the speedster to make a move.

"What do you want?" Caitlin asked carefully.

"Where's the V-9, Caity? I need a fix."

"Eliza, is that you?" Caitlin asked.

"Oh, Eliza's not here right now," She chuckled. "My name is Trajectory."

" _Oh, why do the crazy one's always name themselves?"_ Cisco was glad that the comm. link was still on, meaning they could hear everything that was happening in that moment.

"Look, Eliza, Velocity-9 is very dangerous, okay? It made a friend of mine very sick, and he already have the speed force in him. Look, your cellular system…"

"Enough! You are boring me to death. Hand over the V."

"I'm a physician. I took an oath. I can't give you anything that will hurt you."

"Right, so either hand over the V, or the cat guy gets it," Eliza threatened. One moment Cisco had been locked down in the pipeline and he was now standing there with Trajectory's hand wrapped around the back of his neck in a tight grip.

"Oh!"

"Hey, move, now," Eliza warned as she punched Cisco in the back, getting Caitlin to work faster.

"Look, all the flasks are gone. There's nothing left," Caitlin swore, showing Eliza the draw that previously held the V-9.

"Hey, I was really hoping you wouldn't make me do one of those _I have to kill you each one by one until you give me what I want._ " Trajectory took a step forward, releasing Cisco from her grip, and shoving him in front of her and next to Caitlin, the two cowering slightly in the corner of the room, unsure of what would happen next. "Oh, well."

"Wait! Wait. You want V-9?" Harry had rushed into the room, Jesse by his side to see what was happening. "We'll make it for you." He knew this was the only way to get them all out of there alive. His eyes darted carefully to Sophia who was laying on the ground, glad to see that she was still breathing, but the blood that was pooling around her head wasn't a good sign. "But on one condition, you let us take care of our friend, she'll bleed out if we don't."

"Fine, the cat boy, and the teen can take care of her. You two get working on the V-9."

"Dad, you can't," Jesse insisted but he shook his head.

"Go help Sophia, she needs you and Cisco."

"I'm not a patient person, so you better move fast."

* * *

"It's what you wanted," Harry said, holding out the needle that contained the V-9. "Now leave us alone."

"How do I know the two of you didn't lace this with a sedative to put me on my ass?" Trajectory asked.

"We wouldn't do that," Caitlin reassured.

"You can never be too safe, right?" Trajectory said, taking the needle and jabbing Jesse in the arm with it.

Jesse had just finished up helping Cisco clean Sophia's forehead and stick a bandage where the wound was til Caitlin would be able to stitch it up when she felt the needle enter her arm. A burning sensation travelled through her body as she started to phase, her body shaking with the speed force entering her system.

Trajectory seemed to be happy with this, now knowing that this was going to give her speed and not knock her out.

"No!" Harry yelled, running across the room to his daughter who was convulsing on the ground.

"Thanks for the fix, Snow," Trajectory winked, speeding out of there, blue lightning trailing behind her.

"Get Barry!" Cisco didn't waste a second in sending out a signal to Barry to get back to Star Labs.

"Well, good job on the cell, Cisco," Joe pointed out as he walked back into the Cortex. He had been locked in there for a good half hour while they were working on the V-9.

"Jesse."

"What happened?!"

"Turn her on her side," Caitlin instructed.

"Eliza shot her up with V-9."

"She's going into shock. It's too pure."

"Stay with me, Jesse. Stay with me."

"What do we do?"

"We've got to get the V-9 out of her system," Harry growled.

"She needs a blood transfusion. The new blood will flush the drug out of her system."

"What blood type is she?" Cisco asked.

"PZ negative," Harry said, receiving blank looks in return.

"Yeah, that's not a thing on this Earth, man."

"I'm a match," Harry said, rolling up his sleeve as Caitlin ripped drawers open, pulling out a blood transfusion kit, IV fluids and all the needles in the world. She hoped that Jesse's veins hadn't collapsed otherwise getting a cannula in would be very difficult, and with Sophia out of commission, she had no one else to rely on for help.

* * *

"Jesse," Harry whispered her name as she seemed to wake up. He watched with soft eyes as she was roused from her sleep, his hand moving from holding her own, to brushing the hair from her face. He was so glad that she was safe. After all this time, after all they had been through, he couldn't bear it if he had lost his daughter, his only family.

The transfusion had finished an hour ago, but it was only now she was beginning to regain consciousness. Jesse blinked her eyes open, taking in a slow deep breath as she found her bearings. Titling her head to the side along the soft white pillow she gazed up at her father who was watching her with sad eyes.

"Hey," She whispered hoarsely. "What happened?"

"We… you're fine. You're… you're gonna be fine."

"We got the drug out of your system."

"Oh."

"Looks like you saved the day again," Jesse said, unable to stop the salty words from leaving her lips.

"Look, honey, I know that this isn't enough. I promise you, though, I'm going to spend the rest of my life making it up to you for the… for that terrible thing that I did."

"Yeah?" She asked, raising a brow.

"Yes."

"And how many more terrible things are you gonna do to protect me?"

"What does that mean?" Harry practically snorted.

"I mean, everything that you do and everything that you have done for me, it's so dark, and… and you don't even see it. I mean, you didn't even hesitate out there."

"Of course not. I'm not going to lose you, Jesse."

"Okay, but you just gave that crazy speedster everything she wanted without even blinking, without even thinking what other lives could be at stake."

"It's my job to keep you safe, to protect you, that's my job. Besides, it was to protect Sophia as well. She was bleeding out there on the floor and if I didn't do anything she would have been in a worse condition."

"Has she woken up yet?" Jesse asked, worry filling her eyes. She had only known this Earth's Sophia for a little while, but she had a kind heart, and Jesse hoped that she would be alright.

"No. Caitlin gave her a few stitches and she should be up soon. She's in the other room with Barry."

* * *

Upon arriving at Star Labs, this was not what Barry had expected.

Caitlin was finishing up a blood transfusion with Wells and Jesse after she had been injected with the V-9. Cisco had then quickly informed him of Sophia's condition, dragging him into the room himself and Joe had lifted her into.

There was blood still matted to her forehead and she looked exceptionally pale as she lay in the bed. He was by her side in an instant, his hand gently caressing the side of her face that hadn't been injured.

"What the hell happened?"

"Well, the lady speedster was a psycho. She calls herself Trajectory. She basically ran in here, locked myself and Joe in the pipeline and demanded Caitlin make her more V-9… oh, yeah, after she practically bludgeoned Sophia with a fire hydrant," Cisco said, running a hand through his hair. "So Wells and Caitlin made the V-9 while Jesse helped me take care of Sophia as best as we could until Trajectory injected some of the V-9 into Jesse's system, and well, shit hit the fan."

"Shit," Barry cursed. "I shouldn't have left. I should have been here."

"Barry, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known, we certainly didn't," Joe said. "Plus, Sophia's going to be fine. Caitlin said that she did some scans and there's no damage to her brain or any fractures. A couple stitches and she'll be right as rain."

"I feel like the worst boyfriend ever. We were just arguing about the V-9 this morning and look what happened. I shouldn't have-"

"Look, don't blame yourself. Just stay with her while we try to figure this all out."

Barry took a seat next to the bed, his legs bouncing nervously as he eyed the monitor and the IV fluids that were hanging up. His eyes ran over Sophia's face, picking up the green and blue that was beginning to appear where the cut had formed on her forehead. The stitches were fresh and the fleshy toned skin that appeared made him feel queasy. He was glad at least there was some colour returning to her lips. He dragged a hand down the side of his face, his cheeks flushed from the adrenaline. He desperately wanted to run around the city to try and find Trajectory, but he didn't want to leave Sophia's side, not until she woke up.

He noticed that there was a pattern. She seemed to always be in the crossfire, always taking a hit. He knew that it came with the role of being a superhero, and he too had been on that side of the fence more times than he would like to admit, but he felt as though her being connected to him had somehow made her life worse. He felt as though his association with her by nature had made her life dangerous. It was something he knew he had no control over, something they would cope with as it came by, but he felt guilty regardless of these facts.

"What are you thinking about so hard that's got you making that face?" Sophia asked, her voice croaky, snapping him out of his thoughts. He turned to look at her, watching as she gave him a weak smile, shuffling herself up on the bed so she was now leaning against the pillows and sitting up.

"Just wondering how long it would be til you woke up," Barry said calmly. "You scared me," He said, leaning forward and taking her hand in his own, pressing a kiss to the back of her warm hand.

"Sorry," Sophia whispered. Her eyes darted to the glass of water on the bedside and Barry picked it up before she could ask, bringing it to her lips and helping her take a few sips.

"Better?"

"Yes."

"Trajectory. That's what the speedster calls herself," Barry said. "It's Eliza. The V-9, it's… it's changed something inside of her," Barry said. "I'm sorry for arguing with you before. Now that all of this happened it made me realise just how dangerous the V-9 is."

"I'm sorry too, for how I spoke to you. I just didn't want you to jump in the deep end. At the end of the day it may have made you faster, but it's not worth the risk."

"I know that now, and I'm sorry you got hurt," Barry said. "You're always getting hurt."

"That's just a part of the game, Allen," Sophia teased with a wink. "I got in a few good hits and then she got one over me. It happens."

"I wish it didn't."

"Trust me, I'm with you on that one," Sophia laughed, feeling lighter when she saw a smile creep it's way onto Barry's face.

"I should go back inside, we need to figure out a way to catch Eliza."

"Help me up, I'm coming with you," Sophia insisted.

"Sophia, you have a head injury, even with your healing you're gonna need a few hours on the ground before you fly away."

"Damn," Sophia cursed. "Can't you at least get me in a wheelchair so I can still interact with everyone?" She pleaded.

"Fine," Barry said. "Wait here."

"Like I can go anywhere," She laughed to herself. Barry was gone and back in the blink of an eye, Well's old remote controlled wheelchair before her eyes.

"Is that really the only one we have lying around this place?"

"Yeah, the wheel broke on the other one back when I used it."

"That's because you used to speed," Sophia teased.

"What can I say, I've always been one for the fast lane."

Sophia rolled her eyes and lifted her arms up and around Barry's neck as he grabbed her behind the knees, carrying her to the chair and settling her down.

"Thanks, Barry."

"No problem, sweetheart," Barry said, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her lips.

Sophia pressed down on the button on the handle that should have moved her forward but the wheelchair remained stationary.

"Ugh, Barry. I think it's out of battery."

"Oh, yeah," Barry said, remembering that Cisco had removed the tachyon device that had been under it and powering the chair. "I'll just push."

"Good thinking."

Barry wheeled her into the room and she received smiles and sighs of relief when they saw her up and rolling around.

"How are you feeling?" Caitlin asked.

"Fine, just a little bit of disorientation, but I'm good," Sophia said.

"That's good. I'm sorry you got dragged into all of this, if I had just realised it was Eliza earlier then this wouldn't have happened and you wouldn't have gotten hurt-," Caitlin began to ramble.

"Yeah, I know she was your friend and all, but home girl has gone cuckoo bird," Cisco said.

"Now she's out there with more V-9," Sophia said. "She needs to be stopped."

"What she doesn't know is, I put a micro tracker in the drug."

"Hmm, that's a brilliant idea."

"You can run, but you can't hide."

"I'm the one to blame for all this, so I need to help fix it," Caitlin said, looking around with a guilty expression. Sophia threw her a supportive smile since she wasn't close enough to grab her hand, hoping her expression would say it all.

"There's plenty of blame to go around, Snow," Harry said, taking off his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose as he they waited for Cisco to pull up the location from the tracker.

"What's her location?" Barry asked already dressed in his suit, pressing a kiss to Sophia's cheek as he got ready to leave.

"Central City Bridge," Cisco said. "She's creating friction, and at that vibration and speed…"

"What?" Barry asked, a wary look in his eye.

"Complete chaos. She could destroy the bridge and everyone on it," Harry said with wide eyes as he looked at the screen. "Go now!"

* * *

Barry was rushing through the streets of Central City, moving to the left and right to dodge pedestrians and cars alike on the roads in an attempt to get there faster. His feet skidded on the ground, a little bit of smoke trailing behind him as he stopped at the beginning of the bridge, watching with wide eyes.

"Guys, this bridge is coming down," Barry said with panic. He could see the cracks in the concrete beginning to form, and the fact that he could hear the rumble of the ground beneath him was a bad sign.

"Barry, there's about 200 people on that bridge right now."

"You're running all my fun," Trajectory yelled.

"Trajectory's too far away. You won't get to her running across the river."

"I will if I jump," Barry said.

"Don't you dare do something stupid, Barry Allen," Sophia yelled through the comm.

"Barry, to make that jump, you'll need to go Mach 3.3, but only for a second," Harry said, going along with his plan, receiving a death glare from Sophia in response. Barry hadn't been able to make the canyon jump and she was worried he wouldn't be able to make this one.

"I got this. Wasn't it you who said that I could do anything if I just put my mind to it, Soph? Perseverance. I can do this," Barry said, psyching himself up. His arms moved parallel to his legs, the speed force travelling through his veins, building up as he pushed himself to the limit. He jumped across the water, almost running on top of it to get to the other side where Eliza was waiting for a fight.

"Yeah, buddy!" Cisco cheered through the comm.

"Thank god," Sophia breathed out in relief, Barry humming in agreement.

"It's over, Eliza!" The Flash called out.

"It's never over."

"Wait, hey! Stop doing this to yourself. You don't actually want to hurt anyone."

"You don't know anything about me."

"No, I know you're not a bad person. This is the V-9 in your system," The Flash said. "I also know what it feels like to want to be the best. It makes you feel like there's not enough time to accomplish things the right way, but it's a cop-out. And this is killing you. Look at yourself, Eliza. You're not well."

At this point, the V-9 in Eliza's system was causing her to shake, her body phasing in and out. She brought up one gloved hand in front of her face to see it solid and then a moment later gone, phasing in the air. Her heart was pounding wildly and she felt sick.

"Let us help you, please."

Eliza closed her eyes, focusing on the V-9 that was in her system, taking control over it. She blinked her eyes open to see that she was standing still once more, feeling the fire and rush of the speed force running through her system.

"That is all the help I need. How does it feel to know that I am faster than you will ever be?" Trajectory sneered, a devilish smirk on her scarlet lips.

"See you around," She laughed manically as she began to run away from Barry. But as she did, the lightning that was emitting off her turned blue, and before Barry's eyes, he watched her fade into nothing more than a pile of dust, the scream that had fallen of her lips still hanging in the air.

"What happened?"

"She's gone. She just… vanished."

* * *

"So Eliza just evaporated from running too fast?"

"Looks like cellular degeneration, same as Jay's. Jay warned us V-9 was dangerous. At least now we know why." Caitlin shrugged her shoulders. She felt terrible for what happened with Eliza, but there wasn't anything they could have done to stop it.

"You find Jesse?" Joe asked Harry who clenched his jaw at the question. Harry shook his head not wanting to talk about how his daughter had left needing the space.

"She went out."

"Barry, what is it?"

Barry looked up at the sound of his name, running a hand through his hair. After seeing Eliza disappear, the thought had been running through his mind all night. "It's just right before Eliza disappeared, her lightning, it turned blue."

"I noticed that too when I was fighting her. It was weird," Sophia mentioned. "I thought it was a trick of the light…"

"Right."

"What if it's a side effect of the V-9?" Barry asked.

"Yeah, but Jay took V-9, and his lightning didn't turn blue," Caitlin said.

"About how fast was he running?" Barry questioned.

"Not as fast as Eliza." Caitlin wasn't sure exactly of the numbers, but it definitely wasn't as fast as Eliza.

"All right, so what if V-9 is what turns your lightning blue? I mean, that would explain why Zoom is so much faster than me," Barry said as everything clicked into place. "If that's true, then that means he's sick, right? _He's dying_."

"That's why he wants your speed. He's dying and he needs a cure."

"Same as Jay." Suddenly it all clicked into place, and Sophia turned to look at Barry, fearing that he had similar thoughts.

"No. Jay? No. See, he died right in front of us," Cisco reminded them all. "Zoom killed him right in front of us."

"Cisco, we've seen a speedster be in two places at once before," Sophia said, referring to the Reverse-Flash.

"Then I guess there's only one way to find out. I guess now would be a good time to tell you all I've been vibing Zoom," Cisco admitted.

"What? You… for how long?"

"It started when we closed the last breach. And every time it's happened, I've been near that thing," Cisco said pointing to the little podium that had Jays' helmet encased in glass on display. It was their way of paying respects to Jay and the life he lived.

"We need to know." Sophia stood from her seat and formed a small ball of energy, shooting it at the glass that had been bolted down to protect the hat. Cisco walked forward, brushing away some of the glass before picking up the silver helmet.

His eyes almost rolled into the back of his head at the power that was coming off the helmet. Cisco turned around in the dream like sequence, seeing a dark figure standing in the shadows.

It was Zoom.

Jay's helmet having a connection to Zoom already tipped him off, and he was in no way ready for the reveal that was about to occur.

"Oh, no… oh, no."

Cisco held his breath as he watched Zoom pace around a room before he saw the devil himself rip off the black mask.

It was Jay and he was staring directly at him, eyes glowing red.

Cisco gasped, dropping the helmet, the silver metal falling to the ground with a loud clang. He stumbled back on his feet, eyes darting around the room as he found his bearings, trying to calm his racing heart.

"I saw Jay," Cisco said, turning around to face everyone, a look of terror on his face. He clenched his jaw, and a look of frustration settled into his features.

"What is it, Cisco?" Sophia asked, having a feeling she was going to regret asking the question.

" _He's Zoom."_

* * *

 **A/N –** Dun. Dun. Dun.

But we all already knew that… but still. It's exciting it is it not? Glad that the story is getting moving!

Heads up that updates will become slower because I'm packed with assignments and work at the moment, so it's difficult to find time to write. But thank you all so much for your love and support. And though it might take a few weeks to a month (max) for a new chapter, it'll all be worth it in the end, and I'm going to finish this story.

I have ideas for season 3 already, BUT, in saying that. Once this sequel is done, it'll be a few months before I would post S3 at all. I would need to begin writing it and all that jazz, and it'll depend how hectic my schedule is. But it is something I am considering, so we'll see how it goes.

Replies:

ImsebastianstanButter: I'm so glad that you enjoyed it. Yes, the ending was very abrupt, but I hope this chapter you enjoyed a bit of the clingy Barry going on! A little bit of an argument this chapter, but I love to keep them light and fresh, after all they go through so much already, but that's not to say that they don't fight like normal couples do. This chapter was an example of that with the whole V-9 debate. Though I do have to say it was resolved very quickly and efficiently.

RHatch89: Thank you! Glad you liked it.

Beachgirlsrule: I am so glad that you enjoyed it, it was definitely the chapter I put the most effort to in a while. Hope this is a good start to your weekend! Enjoy.

Guest: Thank you! I loved writing Shadow, cos she was indeed super badass. Hope you liked this one!

LMarie99: Thank you so much! Yes, I wanted the whole focus to be on E-2 Sophia and to be from her POV. It was a nice change and I really enjoyed writing it. HAHA. OH MY GOD. Yes, it totally does and I do have to say it inspired me to write her death that way, as sad as that sounds. Glad you enjoyed it, hope you liked this one too!

Julia N SnowMiko: I AM SO SORRY. I MEAN THAT REVIEW IS THE BIGGEST COMPLIMENT EVER BUT ALSO I AM SO SORRY FOR MAKING IT SO ANGSTY BUT THANK YOU!

Grace003: Your review made my day, so thank you! Well, he doesn't have too much of a break down, but he does let it all out. Sorry if I kept you guys waiting a bit too long. I've been super busy.

Riana Chere: Awwww honey, thank you so much for the review, and sorry for hurting your heart with all the drama last chapter. Hope that some of the fluff from this one evened it out a little bit. :P

The Redshirt who Lived: THANK YOU SO MUCH. THIS IS LIKE THE BIGGEST COMPLIMENT. To have you say that after I worked so hard on this chapter means the world, so thank you. P.s. I will try and keep the standard going, but I can't promise it. But thank you heaps, it's definitely one of my most loved chapters at this point and I'm so proud of how it turned out.

Jasmin Hedley: Thank you for your review! Honestly, you reminded me to update. I've been so busy lately that I've lost track of time. Enjoy. X

Til next time.

Heroherondale.


	18. Flash Back

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Disgusted.

Sophia felt absolutely and utterly disgusted.

Betrayed was another good one as well. But it was mostly disgust. She had holed herself up in her apartment for the last three days, not returning to her superhero duties, work or even Star Labs for that matter. In fact, the first day she hadn't even come home. She had flown out of the cortex, unable to deal with the news, heading to a shady bar downtown that she knew Barry would never think to find her, and there, she had spent the night drinking away her sorrows, only to return the next morning with a major hangover.

When Barry was home she would be sleeping, or pretend to be sleeping. She spent a lot of time huddled under the hot water in her shower, and she was sure that her skin was going to start peeling off with the amount of steaming water it had endured.

It was now day four and she hadn't spoken a word to a real human being, because you really couldn't count chatting to her cat as any real form of communication. She had barely eaten, only managing to stomach some soup on the second day, and that was purely so her body wouldn't collapse from the lack of energy.

She felt bad for ignoring Barry and everyone around her, but she just felt so emotionally and mentally exhausted. It pained her to think that Jay of all people, the person they had trusted, the person that had been their friend was actually their enemy. He had been the one to inflict so much pain into their lives and they had treated him like he was their own flesh and blood. They had taken care of him, given him a place to stay and opened up their lives to him.

History was repeating itself and it made her nauseas and dizzy just thinking about it.

Or maybe it was the fact that she was laying upside down, head hanging off the edge of her bed as she stared at the blank wall of her bedroom. She was dressed in nothing more than a pair of old faded grey sweatpants and Barry's blue Star Labs jumper that she had stolen off him, her hair damp from her shower.

Her eyes drifted over to the clock that was glowing with neon green lights indicating that it was nearing 5 pm. That meant that Barry would be home from work at the CCPD soon. He would usually be at home for an hour before heading off to Star Labs, but if her memory was correct then it was actually Friday night, and he wouldn't be heading down there til at least eight, or maybe not even at all now that he had an app alerting him of crime in their city.

The clock hit 5:01 and she heard the front door of her apartment open and Barry's work bag hit the floor near their front door. He scuffed his shoes off, before walking into their bedroom, surprised to see Sophia awake.

He had given her space for three days, but he knew that it couldn't last any longer so he had talked himself up at work that morning, making sure that he would talk to her today. It was just getting a bit ridiculous and unhealthy. He knew that she hadn't been eating and judging by the dark blue circles under her eyes he could see how it was affecting her.

"Hey," Barry said, plopping down on the edge of the bed next to Sophia.

"Hey," She replied, moving to sit up, wobbling slightly as she did, grabbing onto Barry's arm to stabilise herself.

"What were you doing?" Barry asked, almost wanting to laugh at her current expression, but he knew that this wasn't time for fun and laughter.

"I don't know, staring at the wall. I lost track of time, and now I'm just a bit dizzy," Sophia said, turning to face him. Though she had been purposefully avoiding him so they could avoid this conversation and avoid the reality they were suffering through, she had missed him. She had missed the way he would hold her at night as they slept, she missed the way she would awake to soft kisses on her neck in the mornings. She missed Barry and it was all her fault. Her eyes softened at the genuine concern painted in his gaze.

"How could you have been sleeping so much these last few days, but you still have circles under your eyes?" Barry's question was almost like a whisper as he brought his hand up to touch the skin underneath her eye. Her eyelids fluttered closed and she felt calm under his touch, revelling in the feeling as his fingertips traced her cheek. She blinked them open when the contact ended.

"Nightmares… I've been having nightmares, so it's been hard to feel like I've actually rested," Sophia sighed, burying her face in her hands.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Barry asked, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pressing her back into his chest. He felt her shake her head.

"We're going to have to address the elephant in the room soon," Barry said, pressing a kiss to her hair.

"That's rude, Chewie is a cat, not an elephant…" Sophia mumbled.

"Sophia," Barry whined, causing her to let out a shaky laugh.

She exhaled deeply, trying to manage the anxiety that was building up in her chest right now, making her feel like she was suffocating.

"Listen," Sophia said softly. "Let me talk, and just… listen."

"Okay."

"Finding out that Zoom is actually Jay… it… it made me feel sick, because, I was the one who was adamant about having him on our team. I supported him and vouched for him when you knew he was bad news. I talked you into letting him become a part of our lives, _our lives_ , Barry. I played right into his hand and I didn't even know it. What's worse is that I should have known. I kept saying that he wasn't like Eobard, he wasn't another Reverse-Flash, but in fact, he was worse," Sophia choked out. "There were so many moments that he almost killed you and I know realise that was because he was a part of our team, we gave him the god damn key to our home and I-I'm just so sorry," She sobbed, turning to bury her face into Barry's chest, the tears falling down like rain during a thunderstorm.

"Soph," He whispered softly, rubbing her back in a soothing motion in an attempt to comfort her.

"No, Barry, it's all my fault. I did this to us, I did this to the team."

"Sweetheart, you didn't do this. You are not responsible for Zoom being a monster. The only person that gets the blame on this is Jay. No one else. It's not your fault. We're going to find a way to open the breaches and we're going to stop him, once and for all," Barry said, tipping her chin up so she could look at him.

"I-"

"We're going to stop him. I promise you."

"I want to kill him," Sophia said, afraid of the weight of her words. "That's how bad it is. I have this urge to just go… insane, _and that scares me._ "

It was in that moment that Barry realised that E-2 Sophia wasn't that all different from his own. There was still that war waging inside, that grey area, and it made him realise why she had called herself Shadow.

"Don't be sacred, I have that same thought about killing Zoom every day. But we won't sink that low. We won't become killers like him. We'll stop him and we'll do it the right way."

"I hate what our lives have become. I hate it," Sophia whispered. She hated that there was so much anger and pain inside of her, and she yearned for the old days before they discovered the true nature of the Reverse-Flash. She yearned for those happy days once more. But that was the past, and they would never be able to get that back.

"I hate it too."

* * *

The silver helmet gleamed as it sat on the podium, the broken glass now cleared from where it had shattered. The light bounced off it, shining so bright that Cisco was sure he would go blind if he looked at it any longer. He wanted to grind his teeth and bash his head in the longer he stared at that helmet and what it represented.

He had become close friends with Jay during his stay on E-1, and to discover this just made him feel empty. He felt worse for Caitlin than anyone else. She had fallen in love with him, a monster in disguise. He couldn't imagine how it felt to fall in love, have your heart torn apart when he died, only to discover that he wasn't actually dead and was in fact your enemy. It was a soap opera worse than Bold and the Beautiful, and that was saying something.

"Yo," Cisco said, catching the attention of Barry. "Can we please get rid of Jay's helmet?"

"No, sorry. It keeps me motivated," Barry said.

"Well, it's giving me daymares," Cisco cringed.

"Same, can't I just blast it into smithereens?" Sophia asked, surprising Cisco since it had been the first time she had spoken all morning. When he had greeted her with a hug she had barely responded, only giving him a nod.

"This is everything I could find even remotely related to increasing speed," Barry said, a mountain of textbooks and articles piled up on all their desks in the cortex, whiteboard markers laying around and all of the clear whiteboards stretched out in a parallel line in front of them.

"How are these supposed to help apply the speed equation to you?" Harry asked.

"The answer's got to be here somewhere." Barry knew that there was a way he could get faster, he just had to figure it out.

"I think I found something interesting."

"Good interesting or bad interesting?" Cisco asked. "Cause that word could go either way."

"After running some comparative data, it appears that you, Reverse Flash, and Zoom are moving your legs at essentially the same speed," Caitlin explained, pulling up a comparison on screen showing a visual of the rate that Barry was running at compared to the others.

"Then why are they so much faster than him if they are all moving at the same speed?" Sophia asked.

"Best I can tell, with each stride their feet spend less time on the ground, thus propelling them forward much faster. By almost 30 per cent," Caitlin said.

"Great."

"All right, well, I got to make up for that difference somehow," Barry said.

"Barry? Look, after what that monster did, I want to stop Jay just as badly as you do…" Caitlin trailed off.

"Right…" Barry prompted, waiting for her to finish.

"But what if the reason you haven't been able to run as fast as him yet is because you just can't," Caitlin said.

At her words, Sophia looked up from where she had been sitting, glancing over at Barry to see his response. Because she was sure, well and truly, that none of them had considered this as an option.

Barry paused at Caitlin's comment, because all this time, this thought had never crossed his mind. He always knew he had to work harder, to push himself further but it had never occurred to him that the reason might just be that he couldn't. He frowned, not liking what this could possibly mean, but he quickly erased that doubt from his face, giving them all a smile and promising them that he could do it, that he would do the best.

Because, frankly, he couldn't fail.

Not when the stakes were so high.

* * *

"So, my advisor loved my engine designs and even asked me to help her out with one of her engineering projects," Wally said proudly, leaning back luxuriously against the chair.

"Okay, big man on campus," Joe laughed as he placed down the casserole down in the middle of the table, sliding off the gloved oven mittens as he sat down. He passed Iris a spoon and they got to dishing out food for everyone.

This time it was just Barry, Wally, Iris and Joe. Sophia had gone into work for a 12 hour shift, and would only be home around 10pm and it was only 8 when they had sat down to eat.

"It's not that big a deal," Wally said with a wry smile, feeling a bit embarrassed by all the attention that Joe was giving him.

"It's a great opportunity, and you should take it because life doesn't give those out all the time," Joe said. "Isn't that right, Barry?"

"Yeah. What's the project about?" Barry asked, taking a bite of his food. He was genuinely interested in Wally's project, but he didn't feel like he had the energy to engage in a lot of conversation after the long and trying day he had endured.

"It's trying to push the speed limits with smaller propulsion systems." Barry perked up a little at Wally's words.

"Yeah, that's cool. Where do you even start?"

"Well, I really like to read the journals of the classic engineers, so their engine designs, how they increase horsepower, and learn from the best, I guess," Wally explained.

"You read their journals?" Barry asked, brows furrowing in thought.

"Mmm. I mean, it's not like I can just go and talk to Enzo Ferrari or Ferdinand Porsche cause they're dead, but…" Wally laughed, causing Barry to give a chuckle. "You know, doesn't mean they can't still teach me."

It was then that it clicked in Barry's head. If he couldn't get the answers he needed from the books, he needed to talk to the real deal. But it was an insane idea… he wondered if it would even work. Barry dropped his fork, the metal clanging against his plate as he pushed his chair back, standing up abruptly.

"I got to go," Barry said, a grin bursting on his face as the idea clicked into place.

"You haven't even touched your food," Iris said.

"Yeah, no, I'm sorry. I just, um… I just realised the key to a case I've been working on, so I'm gonna just _… thank you, Wally_ ," Barry said, eyes darting back to Joe. "I'll be… I'll be back later." Barry quickly slipped his shoes on, throwing his arms in his jacket as he stumbled out the front door.

"That dude gets weirder every time I see him," Wally mentioned, looking at the empty spot with a bemused expression.

"Tell me about it," Joe muttered, taking a sip of his drink. Sometimes he well and truly didn't understand Barry.

* * *

Barry ran over to Central City Hospital to find Sophia. Before he suggested this insane idea to the rest of the team, he wanted to get her opinion and view about it all. With a whoosh he found himself in the middle of the emergency ward, eyes darting around to find his girlfriend. He knew that since she had started a casual role at work, there were times were she would be in different wards every shift, but he was glad that this rotation she was in Emergency, making it easy for him to find her in the midst of chaos that the hospital always seemed to be in.

"Um, excuse me, have you seen Sophia?" Barry asked one of the nurses named Aisha that he recognised from a photo that Sophia had taken at their annual Christmas work parties. The dark-skinned girl in a headscarf looked up at Barry with a warm smile, closing the patient folder she had in her hand and placing it in the stand outside the door she was standing in front of.

"You must be Barry, I'm Aisha. Nice to finally meet the _perfect_ boyfriend," Aisha said, giving him a little wave in hello, giggling when she saw Barry flush pink.

"Yeah," He said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I'm the boyfriend."

"Well, she's down the hall and to the right," Aisha said, pointing her finger over her shoulder. "We've been super busy tonight, so please don't distract her for too long."

"I won't. Thanks again, it's lovely to meet you!"

Barry walked down the long hall, his converse squeaking against the white tiled floor. Once reaching a set of pale green doors, he pushed one open and then took a sharp right at the intersection of the hallway, bumping right into Sophia who was walking the opposite way.

"Barry?" She asked, eyes glancing up at him in surprise.

"Yeah," He replied, giving her a lightning quick kiss on her cheek.

"Not that I don't love your company, but what are you doing here?" Sophia asked, as she moved to a sink nearby, washing her hands thoroughly. After patting dry she made sure to put on a bit of the moisturiser they had laying around, knowing that her hands would be as dry as the Sahara desert by the end of her shift if she didn't.

"I need to talk to you."

"This is kind of bad time right now, I'm very busy," Sophia said as she pulled a draw open on the metal trolley, pulling out some gauze and the IV starter kit she needed along with some 19 gage needles. The patient in room four was giving her a headache with her current refusal of medication and she didn't even want to begin to think about how difficult it was going to be to get a cannula inserted and an IV drip going. She just prayed that the old lady would calm down enough for her to do her work and get out of there.

"It's important," Barry insisted.

"How important?" She asked, walking down the hall, kidney dish in hand with her equipment, swiping a pair of blue gloves on the side before entering the patient's room. Barry followed quietly behind her, waiting for her to be done.

" _Mrs. Joong, I need to put this in your arm,"_ Sophia explained in Korean, yet another language she had decided to learn during her time off. She hadn't been fluent in the language, only knowing a few words here and there, but she had asked one of her colleagues who was a natural to show her the ropes and she had quickly picked it up in less than a few weeks. _"It's so I can give you some fluids and your medication, it'll only hurt for a second."_

" _Do I really have to get it?"_ Mrs Joong asked, with a dramatic sigh.

" _Yes, if you want to get better, you have to have it Mrs. Joong. I promise I won't take long,"_ Sophia said, setting everything up.

"Can we talk after this?"

"Yeah, it should be fine, just give me a second, I need to get this cannula in and her veins are beginning to collapse," Sophia said as she concentrated, her gloved fingers tapping the skin against Mrs. Joong's inner elbow to try and bring a vein into sight.

" _Who's that man and why is he staring at you?"_ Mrs. Joong asked as Sophia began to insert the needle into the vein.

" _It's my boyfriend. He wanted to see me."_

" _Oh, he's very cute. You have good taste."_ Sophia laughed loudly at this and so did Mrs. Joong.

"What did she say?"

"She said, your jacket is on inside out," Sophia lied, but she giggled when she turned back around because it was in fact turned in the wrong way. He had obviously come over in a rush. She wanted to laugh louder when she saw him quickly pulling his jacket off and putting it on the right way, but she realised quickly she was being distracted from her work. Sophia was quick in attaching the line and setting the machine up, a beep emitting from it alerting to them that it was starting.

" _All done. If you are in any pain or it beeps, press the button and I will come."_

" _Thank you, young one."_

Sophia then moved by the door throwing away her gloves and rubbish in the bin, pressing the alcohol foam pump and rubbing her hands clean before exiting the room. She looked down at her nurses watch and thought about her mental list of what she had to do next and figured she could spend a few minutes chatting with Barry. It was obviously important because he never usually came to bother her on shifts.

"Okay, I have a 5 minutes, 10 tops," Sophia said and Barry nodded, quickly looking around to check if anyone was looking before running them up to the rooftop of the hospital.

Sophia huffed as her hair fell in front of her face from the fast movement, bringing her hand up to push it out of the way. Barry was quick in giving her a kiss hello and she welcomed the pressure on her lips, sighing as it left so soon. She smiled up at him, getting down to business.

"So what was so important that you had to show up when I'm off from work so soon?"

"I was having dinner at Joes, and Wally, he gave me an idea." There was a glint of mischief and insanity in Barry's eye and Sophia squinted at him suspiciously.

"Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to like this idea?" Sophia asked.

"Because… you might not," Barry said.

"Go ahead," Sophia said. "Let's see what bat shit crazy idea you've come up with." She grinned when Barry laughed.

"I want to go back in time, to when Eobard was posing as Harrison Wells," Barry said, watching as her face completely dropped of any expression before scrunching up into a look of shock.

"I was _not_ expecting that."

"What do you think?"

"That you're insane," Sophia nearly screamed, hitting him on the shoulder. "No! You can't, it's too dangerous," Sophia said, shaking her head. She took a step back, exhaling as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Just hear me out," Barry said, taking a step forward, hands out in a gesture of peace. "If I go back, I can get him to teach me how to be faster, how to be fast enough to stop Zoom."

"But, you can't- time travel it's dangerous. Don't you remember what happened the last time? What if you screw something up? I'm not saying you are going to, but every time you've messed with the timeline something bad has happened," Sophia whispered the last few words. " _There's always repercussions_."

"But this time, I'm not going to change something, I'm just going to learn. I won't need to be there for more than 24 hours. It's my only option. I'm not getting faster on my own, no matter how hard I try. I need to learn from another speedster. He's the only one who can help me," Barry said.

"I don't like it." She pursed her lips, crossing her arms as her brows furrowed in deep thought.

"I know, I don't like that it's our only option either, but it's our best chance in stopping Zoom."

"Did you talk to the others about it?"

"No, I wanted to speak to you first. I'm going to head back to my lab to do some more research on it, and then I thought I'd suggest it tomorrow morning at Star Labs," Barry said. "If we want to beat Zoom, we have to take risks. This is one of those I'm willing to take."

"Okay." He blinked, tilting his head in disbelief.

"That's it?"

"I'm exhausted and a bit delirious, and to be quite honest, I learned a long time ago that once you set your mind to something, you won't stop. I'll just have to do my best to support you along the way," Sophia supposed, a smile growing on her lips. "Even if you are a bit crazy."

"I love you," Barry breathed out and Sophia's response was lost on her lips as he captured them in a searing kiss, making her more than late for the rest of her shift, blushing profusely when she came back down with swollen lips and Aisha wolf whistling in the background.

* * *

"You mean the _old_ Harrison Wells? As in Eobard Thawne? You want him to teach you how to run faster? Oh, that's rich," Cisco commented sarcastically, tossing a scrunched up piece of paper in the bin across the room, Sophia ducking away just in time to miss the paper from hitting her in the face.

"How are you gonna do that?"

"By running back to a time last year," Barry explained.

"And what about the other you, the one from that other timeline?" Harry asked, responding quite… calmly which had surprised them all.

"I'll knock him out with something… I mean, it's not like he'll see me coming and then I'll have Wells teach me." Barry shrugged his shoulders.

"Barry, that's crazy!" Caitlin protested. "Sophia, tell him, he's crazy."

"Barry, _you're crazy_ ," Sophia told him with a fake stern tone causing them to share secret smiles.

Caitlin rolled her eyes, huffing when she noticed that Sophia was obviously on board with this idea.

"Nothing I've read is pointing me towards a solution, and if there's anybody that's figured out the key to getting faster without V-9, it's him," Barry said. "What do you guys think?"

"Your plain is asinine."

"How many times have you travelled through time?" Harry asked impatiently.

"A few."

"Do you have any idea how many things could screw up?"

"All I need is one conversation with Dr. Wells," Barry said.

"He's not Wells," Harry growled. He hated the fact that on this Earth, his own doppelganger had been killed and his life stolen by Eobard Thawne.

"Thawne."

"I'm Wells! This man has been studying you for 15 years for 15 years and you don't think he's gonna know who you are?"

"Barry's pretty good at impersonating himself. You should have seen him over there on Earth 2. I was like s _omebody get this man an Oscar,"_ Cisco laughed.

"He will know, Allen. He will know."

"All right, then what am I supposed to do? I mean how am I supposed to stop Zoom? Do you know the answer to this equation?"

"If Thawne figures out that it's you, the timeline will be altered. People can die. Others could live, and no one will know who or what will be affected, but I promise you, when you come back, things will be different," Harry warned.

But Barry had thought about it, he had weighed the pros and the cons the night before and he knew he had to do this.

"Well, if that's what I have to do to stop Zoom, then so be it, because if I don't, and Zoom gets my speed before I learn how to stop him, everybody I care about, everybody in this whole city, their world will never be the same anyway.

"Do you really think you can do this?"

"Yeah, I do," Barry said with determination. "When I went back last year and I saw my mum die, it didn't affect the timeline."

"Yeah, but you haven't really time travelled on purpose like this before."

"I have to do this, you guys."

"Okay, let's go for it."

"Okay, you're gonna go back to the time when Wells was distracted by the return of the major jackass, Hartley Rathaway. This is the first time we found out Wells knew the accelerator might explode, and we were all angry with him, so anything that might seem odd about your behaviour, Wells should attribute to that."

"Also remember, don't underestimate Hartley. He almost killed you."

"Yeah, but I kicked his ass," Sophia reminded them, remembering the event clearly.

"This is a tranq dart that should knock _old_ you out for about six hours which lines up perfectly for when you're going back because not much was happening until Hartley attacked the Cleveland Dam that night, so that should give you time to learn what you need and return."

"One more thing. You cannot tell us the truth about Wells, no matter what. You must keep the timeline intact. It's gonna be hard to course correct if anything gets altered, so get what you need and come back, preferably to this moment, this exact time you're leaving, or else you might set of some kind of 12 monkeys time loop you'll never get out of."

"No pressure." Barry's laugh was strained and Sophia placed her hand on his arm, giving it a light squeeze. It was decided, they would support him. He just needed to believe in himself.

"Yeah."

"Cool."

"So, we'll see you in, like, two seconds," Cisco said.

"Be careful," Sophia said, leaning forward and giving him a kiss for good luck, savouring the taste of his lips.

"Time travel is so weird," Cisco said, shaking his head.

"Godspeed, Barry," Harry said.

"I'll be fine. What could go wrong?" Barry grinned.

* * *

Barry skidded across the ground as he landed in the middle of Central City on a bright and sunny day. He turned on the spot, recognising that he was just across the road from Rathaway Industries headquarters, and from what he could see, Sophia and Barry were fighting Hartley across the road.

"I'm too early," Barry cursed at himself, unsure of what to do now. There was no way he could snatch his old self and knock him out with Sophia there as well. He hadn't factored in her being Sapphire and the fact that they had been together pretty much all day. He would either have to wait until that fight was over, or find some way to grab himself when Sophia was distracted fighting Hartley.

If he was right, he might be able to do that when he got knocked into the glass frame that was situated outside the building. From what he could remember, Sophia would be busy fighting Hartley, and his old self would be too disorientated from the hit to react, hopefully giving him enough time to drug him and stash the body somewhere safe.

"You know my name? I know some names too," Rathaway states, obviously trying to buy some time. Barry remembered this moment like it was yesterday. "Caitlin Snow. Cisco Ramon. Harrison Wells."

He watched as his old self took a step forward, his body tense.

"I can hear the radio waves emanating from your suit. About 1900 megahertz. Is that them on the other end, listening? Are they gonna hear you die?"

"No," Sapphire spoke, eyes glowing cobalt blue.

"They're gonna hear you get your ass kicked."

Barry watched in awe as they worked together, each supporting each other in both defensive and offensive as they attacked Hartley. He was careful to stay hidden across the road, waiting for the exact moment he would be able to rush over. It was then, in almost slow motion that he saw the waves of energy emitted from Hartley's gloves hit his old self, sending him crashing into the glass.

Barry ran, glad that he was faster than his past self, picking him up and dragging him two blocks away in an alleyway where he quickly injected the tranq into his neck, watching as his eyes rolled back and his form slumped on the ground unconscious.

"Gotta go fast," He muttered to himself, stuffing his body comfortably in a storage space nearby, closing the door, but leaving it unlocked. He ran back, just in time to see Sapphire cuffing Hartley, turning around to see Barry.

"Looks like you're not as smart as everyone says," Barry taunted, a smug smirk forming on his lips. Even when things weren't going exactly as planned they still managed to kick his ass.

"Smart enough to have figured out who Harrison Wells really is. You see, I know his secret." Barry tried to keep his face neutral and not give anything away, but it was hard when Sophia turned to look at him with confusion.

"Let's get going," Sophia said, passing Hartley over to Barry before shooting up into the sky. Barry took a moment to prepare himself before running them over to Star Labs. He needed to give the act of his life if he was going to survive this day.

* * *

Hartley was now in his very own cell, and Cisco was taking a great joy in watching him squirm. Barry was watching from the cortex, Sophia's arms wrapped around his waist as they watched the interaction from the security feed.

"Scanners are picking up foreign metallic objects in your ears," Cisco said, tapping away on the computer. "Take 'em out."

"I can't. I suffered a head trauma when Star Labs exploded. My hearing was severely damaged. Without these, I am in pain you can only imagine."

"Cisco, see if the devices in his ears are generating any low level electromagnetic pulses," Barry said, letting go of the mic.

"You want me to scan for E-bombs?"

"I just- I mean, don't you think that could have been what was interfering with the comms?" Barry asked. When he had arrived back at Star Labs without working comms. He had made up an excuse that it may have been something Hartley did.

"Well, well. Trying to go all _Mission Impossible_ on us? Use those things to bust out of here?"

"Pump in some sound stimuli to counteract his tinnitus. Then we'll make some nonexplosive replacements for him. Deal with you later," Harrison said, moving the wheelchair out of the pipeline.

"Take them out, Hartley. Now."

"Nice work, squirt," Sophia teased, pressing a kiss to his cheek, her own flushed a light pink. Barry smiled at how adorable it was. He knew that by this point they had only been dating for a little while and everything was still new to them. He was about to press a kiss of his own to her cheeks but Harrison had rolled into the room in his wheelchair, and just the sight of it made him sick to his stomach, but he kept his façade up, and had even managed to smile at the man he had used to call his friend.

"I've got some work to catch up on, I'll see you later," Sophia said, leaving the room as Harrison entered. Barry wished she had stayed, but then again, the less that were involved, the better.

"Dr. Wells," Barry greeted.

"That was quite an observation you had about Hartley in there, Mr. Allen."

"Yeah, it just seemed too easy taking him down, you know?"

"Mmm, well the likely reason for that is you're getting faster," Harrison suggested.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. It occurred to me that maybe we've been going about improving my speed the wrong way," Barry said, grateful that it had come up in conversation.

"How so?"

"Well, I've been learning different techniques involved in running, and I was thinking that there's just as much science involved in speed as anything physical or technical. I just can't figure out how to apply it to me when I run. Thought if anybody could help me, it'd be you." Barry passed along the equation that he had scribbled down on a piece of paper over to Wells, watching him carefully as he lowered his glasses, reading the paper.

"This is quite the speed equation you've concocted here, isn't it, Mr. Allen?"

"Yeah, I've been doing a lot of reading in my downtime."

"What on earth inspired you to adopt such a- what we should call- this unorthodox approach?"

"I just know that I'm not the fastest man alive, and I need to be faster, a lot faster, if I'm ever gonna be able to take down the Man in Yellow. So what do you think? Can you help me?"

"Let me see what I can do."

* * *

Barry was sitting in the cortex, doing his best to stay on track with the timeline and not do anything to change the events when an alarm blared. Cisco was on it, sliding across to the other computer in his swivel chair, taping his fingers against the key board.

"It's the CCPD."

"I'm sure they have it handled, right?" Barry asked.

"No. You need to go!"

"Suit up, slow poke," Sophia said, flying out of Star Labs before Barry was even changed in his gear.

Fear struck Sophia as she landed in the CCPD to view the monster that had broken through one of the windows of the building. Police were still firing shots at it, but the Wraith was flying in the air, dodging the bullets with ease.

"What the hell?"

Sophia did her best to distract the Wraith from attacking the civilians and police officers. She flew high enough to get on the same playing field as the creature, forming balls of energy in her hand that she threw towards it, managing to only get one hit in by the time Barry arrived. She pushed her body back as far as she could go, missing the swipe of demonic claws that was aimed at slicing her chest.

It seemed as though as soon as he arrived, the Wraith was attracted to him like a magnet, following him and ignoring the rest of the people in the area. Barry lured the Wraith down to his lab, only to have it disappear a moment later.

"What in god's name was that?" Sapphire asked breathlessly as she landed next to The Flash, her eyes focused on the shattered glass where the Wraith had previously stood.

"I have no idea."

"We need to get back to Star Labs, now," Sophia said.

* * *

Rushing back into the cortex, Caitlin was the first to jump back up at the sight of Barry and Sophia returning. Sophia pulled off her mask, placing it on the desk as she took a seat next to Cisco, pulling up some of the camera feed from the CCPD, in particular, Barry's Lab, the last known sighting of the wraith.

"What's going on?"

"Oh, you know, just trying to figure out how to find this Dementor that's apparently roaming through Central City right now," Cisco said.

"Looked more like a ring wraith if we're being honest," Sophia threw in.

"I assume that was the cause of the CCPD alarm?" Dr. Wells inquired.

"Yeah, actually, it attacked my lab," Barry said.

"I'm trying to bring up the feed now, but it's mostly damaged. I don't know if it was interference from the creature or if it just happened to be in the crossfire," Sophia mused.

"You saw it?" Cisco asked in disbelief, looking at Barry.

"I did, well, uh, we saw it, but I have seen it before," He admitted.

"Where?" Dr. Wells asked.

"It was earlier today, actually, when I was running to take Hartley down," Barry said, wringing his hands together to try and keep his nerves under control.

"Uh-huh. You're just mentioning this now?"

"I-I didn't know what it was," Barry defended.

"I don't know, but whatever it was it was weird. I mean, as soon as Barry got there, it just ignored everything else and started to follow him," Sophia said, not realising how her words had just screwed things up for Barry big time.

"To be honest, I thought it was some sort of illusion. I don't know."

"Okay, well, we need to find it before it hurts somebody."

"Can you track it?" Barry asked Cisco.

"What is it with you guys? It's like you think I have ESP or something. I can't just magically sense where things are," Cisco said with snark, ignoring their stares and looking at his computer with a powerful glare.

"What can you do, Cisco?" Dr. Wells asked in a softer tone, appealing to Cisco's current sour mood.

"I'm thinking I can reconfigure the Star Labs satellite to look for it. Um, it might take some time though," Cisco said.

"I'll do what I can to help," Sophia offered, taking a seat next to Cisco.

"Do it. In the meantime, Mr. Allen, come with me," Dr. Wells said.

Barry begrudgingly followed Wells into his office, unsure of how to play things. But by the looks of it, he still had his cover, and he knew that he would be fine. As long as he stuck to his story, he would be fine.

"Have a seat."

"Is this about the speed equation?" Barry asked as he took a seat in front of the whiteboard that had the work written out on it.

"As a matter of fact, it is."

"Oh, great. So you figured it out?" Barry asked in relief.

"Mm-hmm," Dr. Wells hummed, standing up off his wheelchair as he formed a fist in his hand, pummelling the back of Barry's head and knocking him out cold. He grinned manically, proud that he had figured it out. "Yes. I've figured it out."

* * *

"Now who are you? I mean, who are you really?"

"Dr. Wells, what are you doing?" Barry asked as he came to, trying to move his hands only to see that they were cuffed to a chair. He knew that he had been caught, and he would have to do whatever he could to get out of this. His eyes darted around quickly to see that he was in the time vault, a room that he wasn't supposed to know about, but he did his best to act surprised.

"None of it adds up," Dr. Wells said to himself. "The interference with the comms, the speed equation, the Time Wraith. That's what we call them. Time Wraiths," He said. "Scary aren't they?" He laughed. "I thought, _Oh no, a Time Wraith has found me_ , but then I thought, _no, no, no_. You know what you're doing. Now, the Time Wraith is after someone who's travelled through time and doesn't know what they're doing."

"Dr. Wells, come on. It's me. It's Barry," He said, trying to convince him.

"Really? You are good," Dr. Wells began, clapping as he did so, applauding him for the act. "You are good, and I would believe you, except that… nothing? I move like this, you barely flinch," Dr. Wells said as he stood up, moving around the room with his speed, the red lightning flickering off his body.

"You know who I am. Don't you?" He asked.

Barry didn't respond, instead looked to his wrist, trying his best to phase out of the cuff. He cursed himself internally when he couldn't get his hand out, noticing that it was attached to Dr. Well's wheelchair, meaning that his tachyon device was powering the cuffs the same way the pipeline powered their prison cells. He wasn't getting out of there any time soon.

"Oh! And you're from the future. Do you know how I know that? Because I haven't taught my Barry Allen how to phase through objects yet."

"Let me out of here, Thawne."

"I know. You're upset. But it does me good to hear that name again," Eobard said, dropping the act. "Now onto the bigger question. Why are you here?"

"Because I want to go faster, and you're the only one who can teach me. You're the only one who's figured out the equation. The speed force, you manipulated it. How did you do that?"

Eobard was silent as he walked around the room, pacing nervously. "No, no, no, no."

"You'd only come here if something went wrong. If you're still alive, then that means I haven't beaten you. If you're still alive that means my plan fails. And if my plan fails, I don't get to go home, and if that's the case, well, then…" Eobard turned to Barry, kneeling on the ground, his hand phasing violently.

"No, Hey, hey! It's the opposite! It's the opposite. You trick me. You harness my speed. We turn on the accelerator to create a path for you to go home."

"I go back in time."

"You go back to yours. _You_ _won_."

"Why are you here? Why are you here now?"

"Because when I got back, a singularity had formed. And now the only way for me to learn how to get faster and stop the singularity from happening was to come here. _Now_."

"Well, that's good to know. There's just one thing that occurs to me. I don't need you. Do I? Not this you certainly. _Oops_. You probably should've thought of that before you came here." Eobard laughed in delight. It was just too good. "Shame. You ran all the way back here just to die."

"You kill me, _this_ Barry, _your_ Barry, he learns it all. There's a hidden letter telling him how it ends, how to beat you, _everything_. Anything happens to me, you never make it back home."

Eobard paused in his movement, gritting his teeth together as he processed this information.

"Go on. Kill me, Thawne. See how this all ends," Barry taunted. He knew Eobard Thawne well enough to know he wouldn't risk anything. It felt empowering if anything just to say those words to him, to taunt his greatest enemy, especially after all he did to ruin his life and his family.

"Now, you're gonna help me get faster."

* * *

Sophia decided to accompany Caitlin and Cisco for a walk down to the pipeline where they intended to ask Hartley about his gauntlets, curious as to how they worked. It was an impressive design and they hoped that Hartley would divulge some of his secrets.

"The gauntlets, Hartley. What kind of frequency is this?" Cisco asked.

"Cisco, it's here!" Caitlin spoke up as her phone blared with an alarm.

"What do you mean it's here?" Sophia asked with furrowed brows.

"The Wraith, it's coming!"

"Quick, both of you, inside the cell, now!" Sophia pushed a large red button on the side panel pressing a key on the touch screen that opened up the cell that Hartley was in, pushing both Cisco and Caitlin inside before sealing it up.

"What about you?"

"I have superpowers," Sophia grinned, eyes glowing a bright blue. Hartley looked at her with surprise, obviously not knowing her identity, he had just thought she was another worker that they had roped in.

"What's coming?" Hartley asked in confusion before seeing the Wraith enter the room, flying towards Sophia with the scream of a banshee. "Holy Harry potter," Hartley breathed out, Caitlin and Cisco watching beside him with equal awe and terror.

Sophia braced both hands out in front of her, cobalt blue energy shooting from her hands to create a round shield, the Wraith hitting it with a bang, but it's strength was mighty because she had only held it for a second before it was down and she was trying once more to bring it back up.

"Okay."

"Well, isn't this fantastic?"

"Look, you're going to be safe in there. But can someone please call, Barry? I don't know how much longer I can hold it off," Sophia said, gritting her teeth as she tried her best to keep up a force field in front of her, almost like a Patronous charm warding off a Dementor. If it wasn't so terrifying she might have laughed at the situation with excitement. She realised at this point that she was in over her head.

"I'm trying but I can't get a signal through here," Cisco said.

"I can't- I can't hold it much longer," Sophia gasped, blood slowly trickling from her nose as she focused her power on keeping the Wraith out. Her arms were burning with pain and her head pounding as she continued the fight.

"Cisco, give me the gauntlets!" Hartley yelled in panic.

"No!"

"Now, Cisco! It's going to kill her!"

When Hartley said that, Cisco threw the gauntlets into his hands, not wanting to risk Sophia's life.

"What are you gonna do?"

"These cells have speakers linked throughout Star Labs," Hartley stated.

"Yes, and?" Cisco prompted.

"I rigged these gauntlets to emit a destructive signal if ever they're disarmed. If I can just find the right frequency of whatever the hell that thing is, well, let's just say you'll be glad you're in here with me."

The Wraith shrieked once more and just as Sophia's shield collapsed and it headed towards her wobbly form, the frequency that Hartley had installed blared through the speakers, sending the Wraith flying away in pain.

"I'm sorry that we didn't come sooner," Barry said, rushing into the room just in time to catch Sophia who was leaning against the wall, her face pale and blood still dripping from her nose.

"Are you alright?" Barry asked, eyes running over her form to make sure that she hadn't been injured.

"I'll be fine. I've just never used that much energy before."

"She's just over exerted herself, but I still want to check you out," Caitlin said as she stepped out of the cell.

"Can you walk?" Barry asked, his hand resting on her shoulder.

"I think I can," Sophia said, but after trying to take one step forward, she nearly tumbled to the ground. Barry hated that he was responsible for this. None of this was meant to happen. He whisked her up in his arms and ran her to the med bay, laying her down on the bed, the rest of the team following up shortly.

"You're gonna be fine," Barry told Sophia with a smile, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"With you, I know I'll always be alright."

"You know, we'd be toast if it wasn't for Hartley and those gauntlets."

"Well, self-preservation is a very strong motivator, but he stays in the cell until I say otherwise," Dr. Wells said.

"Okay, I'm just saying," Cisco pursed his lips as he sat down, trying to run some more tests on the satellite to see if it picked up any more Wraith activity.

Sophia drowned out the rest of their conversation as Caitlin performed a quick check up on her. Her blood pressure was low, and she felt lightheaded, so it was decided that some IV fluids would be the way to go. Sophia was actually proud of herself, despite the end result. She could feel the power and energy off that Wraith, and she was glad that she had managed to hold it off long enough for Hartley to send it fleeing.

"Why don't you have a nap? The fluids are running, and should be done in an hour. You'll feel better if you do."

"Do I have too?" Sophia asked, groaning.

"I'll leave Barry to convince you. I've got a headache," Caitlin laughed as she moved out of the room and into the cortex.

"You should get some rest, it'll be good for you." Sophia turned her head on the pillow to look at Barry who still had his hand intertwined with her own.

"I guess a quick cat nap would be okay," She whispered, her eyelids fluttering closed.

"I'll wake you up soon, promise."

"You better."

"I love you," Barry said, pressing a kiss to her cheek, leaving the room with a smile on his face, unaware that he had once again altered the timeline by professing his love, not remembering that he they had only shared those words at least another month or two into the future of the current timeline he was in.

Sophia's eyes blinked open, her beating wildly in her chest at his confession. _Did he just._ Now she really did feel lightheaded.

* * *

It was over two hours later when Sophia awoke, feeling lethargic and aching all over. She yearned for the day when using that much power would be like lifting a finger, but she knew that she had to be patient and with time she would be able to do so many incredible things.

Sophia glanced over at the bag of fluids attached to her to see that the bag was empty. She pulled out the line from her cannula herself, sticking the cap on her cannula to keep it covered before slipping out of bed and into the cortex.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Cisco asked as Sophia walked into the room.

"Still have a raging headache, but I'm better," Sophia said, giving him a smile. "So what are you guys up to now?"

"Just checking out the gauntlets, seems like it got a bit fried when Hartley used them earlier. Their electron guns are fried… also I have no idea how to manipulate the frequency variance. But Hartley does," Cisco concluded, a smile growing on his face as he turned to Dr. Wells.

"Fine, see if I he can help, but he stays in the cell."

"But then what? You fix the gauntlets, but that thing is still gonna come back," Sophia pointed out.

"I don't know," Dr. Wells said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Before anyone could say anything else Barry ran into the room, skidding as he stopped, his hood ripped off his suit, his hair looking a bit wild.

"Where is he? Where's the other Flash?" Barry asked, looking around the room wildly.

"Right here," Barry said, walking into the room on the other side.

"What! Okay, not how I expected today to turn out."

"Yeah," Sophia breathed out, blinking a few times to make sure that she wasn't hallucinating.

"Okay, so I'm-"

"Who are you? Who is he?"

"Who are you?"

"What do you- I'm Barry," Barry said, gesturing to himself in the suit.

"I'm Barry," The other Barry said.

"I think I'm going to pass out," Sophia muttered under her breath as she leaned against the wall for support, her eyes darting back and forth between her boyfriends… _Wow, that was weird. Try not to think about it, it's going to drive you insane._

"You're Barry," Cisco said, pointing at one. "He's your doppelganger."

"No, not yet," He smirked.

"Wait, a second, how do we know which ones the real Barry?"

"Dude, okay, I've watched _Wrath of Khan_ with you like five times," The Barry wearing the suit said.

"Imposter!" Cisco yelled accusingly at the other one.

"Yeah, and every time at the end, you turn to me and you say, _I have been and always shall be your friend,"_ The other Barry throws back.

"Ha! You, imposter!"

"What the hell is going on here?" Dr. Wells asked.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen, the tranq dart that Caitlin gave me was meant to last longer," Barry explained.

Everyone then looked at Caitlin who held her hands up in the air in shock. "I never gave him a tranq dart."

"Okay, not you, the you, from the time that I'm from."

"He's Barry from the future," Sophia breathed out, the answer going off like a light bulb in her head. She turned her head to face the Barry standing in the hallway in civilian clothes. "That's what you're trying to say right? That you're from the future, aren't you?"

"How did you figure it out?" Barry asked, taking a step towards her. Clearly his past self didn't like it because he moved to stand in front of Sophia in an almost protective stance, even though it was himself. Sophia placed her hand on Barry's arm as if to let him know it was okay.

"Earlier," Sophia admitted, feeling her cheeks warm up and she was careful to avoid the gaze of her own Barry who was standing on her left. "In the room, you said you loved me, but Barry and I haven't said that to each other yet, we just started our relationship, so you must be from the future. It's the only logical explanation."

"Well, you're right. I am from the future," He grinned, not because of the fact, but because of the adorable pink blush that erupted on his girlfriend's cheeks. It actually surprised him how much she had changed in a year. Her hair was different now, and she held herself differently when they were together, which he assumed was because in the future they were more comfortable with each other, whereas now, their relationship had just begun to blossom.

"Wait, the future?" Barry asked in confusion. "Are we saying I can time-travel?"

"One day," Future Barry smiled.

"Oh, that explains the white on the symbol," Cisco pointed out, everyone noticing the latest change to the Flash's suit. "Suppose we now change your emblem, will it be because we got the idea from this? Or-"

"Stop talking," Dr. Wells said, rolling further into the room, he then looked at the future Barry, the both of them sharing a look. "You stop talking too, all right? More you say, the more the timeline is disrupted. Now I'm going to assume that your presence here is the reason that thing is attacking us."

"What? What thing?" Barry asked.

"Have you ever seen _The Frighteners_? It's sort of like that, but scarier and faster and it's after you-him," Cisco said.

"Not to mention that it's really powerful. It took all my energy and then some just to keep it out. I didn't even manage to get a hit in," Sophia groaned, taking a seat.

"Yeah, and it's been chasing me ever since I got here," Future Barry said.

"Okay, how do we stop it?" Barry asked.

"We don't know."

"Come with me, the rest of you stay here please," Dr. Wells said, talking to Future Barry who followed him out of the room.

"Well, today's been a hell of a ride," Sophia said.

"You can say that again," Cisco laughed. "I'm still not over it. Minus the flying Wraith thing, it's actually really cool."

"Hey, can we talk?" Barry asked, his hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, sure."

Barry took Sophia's hand and walked her out into the hallway, stopping once they got far enough from the cortex so that no one would be able to hear their conversation.

"How are you feeling?" Sophia asked, her fingers lightly brushing against the spot where the tranq dart had been injected on Barry's neck.

"A bit frazzled by it all, but otherwise, I'm fine," Barry reassured her. "What about you?" He looked down at her cannula, fingers lightly touching where the needle was embedded in her skin.

"I'm okay. I was just a bit exhausted by it all. Caitlin gave me some fluids just to be safe and I slept it off."

"This is weird right? Me, from the future?" Barry asked shaking his head with a crazy smile.

"A little, but in our field, it's not a surprise," Sophia smiled.

"Uh, about what you said before, if you're wondering why I haven't-," Barry began, feeling awkward, and hating his future self for putting him in this positon.

"Barry, it's not a problem. If anything it's something to look forward to in _our_ future, so please, don't worry about it," Sophia said, beaming up brightly at him.

"I guess it is," He smiled. "But, uh, one more thing. Did you- did he, um, kiss you?" He asked, a pink flush erupting on his cheeks.

"No."

"Good," He said a bit too earnestly. "I mean, uh, good."

"You do realise that you're getting jealous of yourself, right?" She asked, biting down on her lip in amusement.

"God, that sounds so stupid now that you say it out loud."

"Don't worry, I think it's endearing. Even you want me all to yourself. I mean, this self. Wow, time travel is weird."

"Tell me about it."

"Well, what are you going to do about it?" Sophia asked, a twinkle of mischief in her eyes as she threw her arms around his neck, pulling him closer towards her.

Barry shook his head with mirth before leaning down and capturing her lips in his own. The kiss was soft and he took his time memorising the way her body felt against his, their lips moving against each other slowly. They lost track of time, preoccupied with getting lost in each other's touch when they heard footsteps approaching, quickly jumping a part from each other and making sure they both looked presentable. And by this, Barry meant fixing Sophia's hair from where he had messed as they walked back into the cortex.

"So did you come up with a solution?" Sophia asked as Dr. Wells and Future Barry returned.

"Yes. I'll be travelling back to my time, meaning you guys have one year to figure out how to stop the Time Wraith," Future Barry told them. Wells had given him a drive with all the information he would need for a tachyon enhancement to improve his speed. He swore to Wells that if it didn't work he would be back, but he had a feeling that for once, Eobard Thawne was on his side.

"We can do that," Cisco said. "I guess, we'll see you on the other side."

"Good luck," Caitlin wished.

"See you soon."

And with that, Barry was off, running as fast as he could, travelling through time and space itself, picturing the exact moment he had left, his body moving until he found himself back in Star Labs a year later.

"Did you figure out how to stop it?" Barry yelled, hoping that they had, otherwise he was a dead man running. The Time Wraith had followed him the entire way there, inches away from clawing him to death as it flew behind him through the portal and ready to attack once he landed.

"Duck," Sophia yelled, and he did, allowing Hartley to hold up his gauntlets. The gauntlets whirred up, a bright white light glowing as he fired away at the Time Wraith, watching as it disintegrated into wisps of its former self before disappearing completely.

"I suddenly realised," Hartley said. "Low frequency, high intensity."

"I knew that," Cisco said, a pout on his face as Sophia walked over to help Barry up off the floor.

"Hey, Barry," Sophia said, reaching up and pressing a kiss to his lips. "How was your trip?"

"So aside from the fact that a Time Wraith came over here and nearly killed us, how did it go?"

"It was interesting," Barry mused.

"Good interesting, or bad interesting? Cause that could go either way," Cisco said, reminding him of when he had also said that in the other timeline.

"So far, so good," Barry said, a smile on his face as he looked over at Hartley who had clearly swapped over from the dark side.

" _The road from Earth to the starts is not easy._ " Hartley spoke a few words of Latin, receiving blank looks from most of the team spare Sophia.

"How many times do we have to tell you, Hartley? Ever since Evil Wells got erased from existence, no one speaks Latin around here anymore," Caitlin said.

"I resent that. I just haven't brushed up on it in a while," Sophia spoke.

"Well, as always, it's been a pleasure working with you all on this little project. If you need anything in the future, call me. I'm off to a late dinner."

"Anyone special?" Caitlin asked with a grin.

"Very. My parents," Hartley said, waving goodbye as he left, and just hearing those words made Barry realise that he was glad he had gone back in time, because if it had done one thing, it had also helped someone change for the better.

"So? You got me on pins and needles over here." Cisco said. "What about the speed equation? Did Wells tell you what you need to do?"

"Well, let's see," Barry said, holding up the drive that contained all the information that they would need.

Moving into the time vault, Barry inserted the drive into the pedestal standing in the middle of the room, waiting for something to happen.

"Maybe it's password protected," Cisco said as nothing happened.

Barry just looked down at it, waiting for something, anything. "No, no, after all I went through, and he gave me nothing!" He hit the console in anger, which had seemingly activated the device and as Sophia took a step forward, she watched it come to life, light blue icons hovering in the air, watching this future technology in awe.

"It's there, its' all there. We're really going to do it. We're going to stop Zoom," Sophia said, turning to look at Barry with a glint of hope in her brown eyes. They were going to do it. They were going to save the world.

"We got it," Barry breathed in relief.

* * *

Later that evening when Barry was snoring away in bed, his arms stretched out above his head, Sophia snuck out of her apartment, through the window, flying to Cisco's place. It was nearing three am, and she knew that he would still be awake, he was known for his notorious late nights.

She carefully landed on the rooftop of his building, pulling out her phone from her hoodie, glad that there was a zipper on it and sent him a text.

 _Come out. I'm on your rooftop. It's important._

Cisco naturally had freaked out at the message and had bounded up the stairs in his pyjama shorts and an old star wars tee shirt, his hair skewed from the run.

"Why in god's name can't I just have normal friends who call me instead of showing up on my rooftop at ungodly hours of the morning?" Cisco asked, now taking slower steps towards her, letting the metal door swing shut. He regreted not throwing on a jacket because the cool winds were sprouting Goosebumps up on his skin.

"Sorry," Sophia said sheepishly. "I needed to talk to you alone."

"Look, I know I'm attractive and all, but you're in a committed relationship," Cisco joked and she wanted to slap him upside on the head but she refrained from doing so, instead sending him a glare.

"I'm going to ask you something, and I need you to promise me that you will keep it a secret. This means telling no one, not even Barry." She took a step forward, out of the shadows and into the light, the moonlight shining down on her skin giving her an ethereal look. There was a look of hesitation on her face, as though she didn't want to ask him this question, but now he had to know what it was.

"What is it?"

"I want you to tell me everything about Sophia Lang from Earth-2. _Everything_ ," Sophia said. "That means, powers, what she could do, how she could do it, any weapons she had, tactical moves, anything and everything that made her The Shadow."

"Why?"

"Because she so far, she's been the closest to killing Zoom. _I want to be better_ ," Sophia declared, her eyes burning with fire and determination. "If it comes down to it, I want to be able to end this once and for all."

* * *

 **A / N –**

 **Firstly** I want to apologise for the late update… last night I actually lost one of my patients and I've been really emotional over it and honestly I wasn't going to post this chapter because of it, but I need some positive vibes and your reviews always get me smiling, so here is the chapter. Hope you all like it.

 **But getting back to the chapter, interesting RIGHT?** Sophia knows deep down that she probably wouldn't kill Zoom, but she's ready to do whatever it takes to stop him from hurting anyone else. Interesting how her counterpart on Earth-2 is now also shaping her choices! Zoom is really making her question her morals and it's interesting to watch it play out.

You'll all be excited to see it play out in the next chapter. Thank you so much for all the reviews. We're nearly at 200! And we've got over 200 followers on this sequel, how amazing is that. I love you all so much and thank you again for all the support it's INSANE.

 **Replies** :

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 **Julia N SnowMiko** : HAHAH, Yes, I had to restore your heart with some fluff. Bonus kisses this chapter as well to appease you all. Yeah, I always had it set up in the story that if she wasn't a nurse she would make a great detective.

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You guys are amazing and I couldn't have done it without you.

Til next time

Heroherondale. x


	19. Versus Zoom

CHAPTER NINETEEN

A wild thunderstorm raged on, Mother Nature pounding on the windows of the buildings below.

Sapphire hovered in the sky, her drenched form gazing at the city below her, the street and office lights illuminating the ground below. Water dripped down her forehead, onto her mask and down her neck as she stood there, her bones chilled to the core as the cold torrential rain poured down on her skin.

There was a pit of anxiety sitting in her chest ever since Barry had returned from his little vacation to the past. There was something that just didn't feel right. There was a storm coming, and she could feel it approaching, getting closer and closer as the days moved on, and something was telling her that it was no way near as calm as the current one she was flying in at this very moment.

Her thoughts flickered back to her conversation with Cisco about The Shadow. He had divulged everything that he could, gifting her with all of the knowledge he had of her doppelganger. She was surprised to find out that not only did she have similar powers, but that she wielded a weapon. Since then, Sophia's interest in the Katana and a swordlike companion had increased. She had spent hours upon hours researching and trying out different weapons, until one day she had come across a unique blade that was an antique. The discovery of the sword had taken place in the darker corners of Central City and she was sure it was their version of the black market, but despite this she purchased it, a thrilling feeling as she did so. It was a back-up plan, and it was going to have to work. She didn't want to become the Shadow. She wanted to be better, and this was the start of a new journey.

Sophia begun training with it immediately, finding the lightweight metal was easy to use. It felt like an extension of her arm, jabbing in and out as she moved. Her arms burned in pain from the harsh training, but the endorphins that replaced that when she was finished working out made up for the pain. She had managed to slice her hands and arms a few times, and passed it off as accidentally slicing herself while making dinner, but she knew that Barry was beginning to notice something wasn't right. Though she felt bad for keeping it a secret, she knew that if it was known knowledge, he would try to stop her. She hoped it wouldn't come down to it, but she was going to be prepared. It made her feel at ease being in control.

Sophia twirled in the air, focusing on the feeling of being light and free. She exhaled once more before shooting down like a bullet in the night sky, her body sending the clouds rippling as she tore through them as she returned home to get some rest before the next day dawned before her, ready see what the future would bring.

* * *

"Dang, this thing got you cruising!" Cisco yelled through the mic, unable to contain his excitement. They had used the blueprints and speed equation that Eobard had provided them, creating the tachyon enhancement device that Barry was now wearing on his chest, allowing him to run up to four times faster. The fact that it had worked, was enough to get them excited, but seeing how it allowed Barry to move so fast just gave them that extra boost of confidence that the team needed.

"How fast does he normally go?"

"Not this fast. Not even close."

"Are his vitals okay?"

"Yeah, they're perfect," Sophia said, glancing briefly at his vitals that were displayed on the screen. She was just glad that his efforts of going back to the past were not fruitless. She couldn't imagine what damage it would do to find out it hadn't worked.

"Cool, it's like having a pit-stop attached to your chest."

"Guys, I can go faster," Barry said breathless from the excitement and adrenaline pumping through him. It felt incredible to be moving like this, and even better knowing that he hadn't had to resort to taking V-9 like Zoom, like Jay. He had done it on his own, albeit he had a little help but the point was, he had worked for it and now, he was going to use it for the greater good.

"Do it."

Another burst of lightning was all the saw and he was gone for about ten seconds before returning, a relieved smile on his face.

"I'm back!" Barry announced, finding himself back at Star Labs. He had run too fast and found himself on another Earth, and he had experienced quite the adventure, but it was a story that would have to wait. "What… how long was I gone?"

"Let's put it this way, you just annihilated your old record," Cisco whistled unknowing that Barry had in fact run so fast that he shattered the fabric of time once more. "So _sweet_."

"Yeah, you went four times faster than you have ever been."

"Four times?" Barry raised his brow in surprise. "That's as…"

"Fast as Zoom," Sophia said.

"Well, faster actually," Harry said.

"Hey, uh, so do we think that, um, we can get this thing smaller? It kind of sucks," Barry mentioned, pointing to the large tachyon enhancer that was sitting on his chest. It felt like a massive metal plate strapped to his suit, and if he was being honest the extra weight was slowing him down, and just the thought of moving even faster than he already had been was exhilarating at the very least.

"If it sucks, then, yeah," Cisco remarked.

"All right, so now all we have to do is figure out how to get back to Zoom."

"Yeah, uh, just a minor issue. We closed all the breaches and have no idea how to reopen them."

"We don't… um, Wells?"

"Yeah, I have an idea, Allen. Let's keep the breaches closed forever," Harry said. "Forget about the breaches. Forget about Zoom!"

"Wait, I'm sorry, I thought that you were on board with this."

"No. No! I said I would help you get faster. I did not say I would help you give the man who kidnapped my daughter and tortured her a chance to do it again."

" _Hey_ , we are not gonna let that happen," Sophia said to Harry, trying to ease his worries. "We're trying to do the right thing here by stopping him. He's just going to terrorise and destroy more lives on Earth-2 the longer he's out there."

"Oh, you're not gonna let that happen. Gosh, I wish I'd known that the first time. You don't understand Zoom is different than us. Zoom is not tied to anything. Zoom does not care for anyone. I do. My daughter's out here on this Earth somewhere. _I have to find her_."

"We all have people that we care about. Zoom will use that against us. Believe me."

"Maybe we should just leave it be."

"No, no. Look, we're not turning our backs on another Earth. We're not gonna let Zoom get away with everything that he's done," Barry said, crossing his arms. If there was one thing he had promised that he would do, it was to stop that monster.

"Right now, there is no way to another Earth, Allen. Let's keep it that way."

"We're getting back to Earth-2, with or without his help."

* * *

Days went past and the team was still working on plans to get another breach opened, but it was getting increasingly difficult what with Harry refusing to help. Not to mention the fact that he wasn't even on site at the beginning of the week as he was busy scouring Central City for any sign of his daughter. Sophia was just glad that Harry had turned up today, but even then he was quiet.

"Well, the best plan we've come up with so far is to set off a nuclear warhead next to the city's electrical grid, so…" Cisco trailed off, as he took a large gulp of his coffee, trying his best to stay awake.

"We're not gonna do that." Caitlin rolled her eyes. They were desperate, but not that desperate.

"Tell me everything that you know about Cisco's doppelganger. Reverb. What were Reverb's powers on your Earth?" Barry asked Harry who was sitting there.

"He could tap into the multi-dimensional energies between Earths. He could see through dimensions. Find breachers, like Ramon."

"I mean, we… we saw Reverb do more than that though, right? I mean, we saw him shoot vibrational bursts out of his hands. Really painful ones," Barry said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Reverb had the ability to somehow manipulate that multi-dimensional energy," Barry trailed off.

"What's your point, Allen?"

"My point is, if his powers are linked to the energy that ties together the multi-verse… if he can manipulate it… then he can open a breach to any Earth he wants."

"Exactly. And if Reverb can do it…"

"I could do it too," Cisco suddenly realised.

"Cisco, I think the way back to Earth-2 is you."

Everyone looked to Cisco and he felt awkward under their curious eyes. He wasn't even sure he could do it himself, but nonetheless, he found himself standing downstairs in the training room of Star Labs, waiting for something miraculous to happen. He had placed his special glasses on, trying his best to create something, anything, but he came up empty, making him feel anxious and disappointed.

"I got nothing," Cisco glowered.

"Try again."

"Barry, what if he can't do it because he thinks he can't do it."

"He can do it though," Barry said, turning to look at Cisco. "You can do it."

Cisco scoffed and then closed his eyes once more, focusing on his energy and power, doing his best to take control over the situation. He tried to picture wielding the power that he saw his doppelganger use so easily on Earth-2 but no matter how hard he willed himself to create something, it didn't work.

"Maybe we're just not in the right place."

"Or maybe I'm just not the right man for the job," Cisco said, clenching his jaw in frustration with himself.

"Cisco," Barry began, but Cisco cut him off with the shake of his head.

"I'm sorry, Barry," Cisco apologised before leaving the room, Caitlin following him to comfort him and remind him that this wasn't on him.

"It's gonna work," Barry said, his gaze meeting Sophia's worried expression. "It has too."

* * *

Feet clad in a pair of bright blue Nike trainers, Sophia's feet pounded across the grey pavement on the streets of Central City that night. She had taken up running again, finding it was a great way to clear her head. She found flying was great for this as well, but sometimes she would get lost up in the clouds and this brought her back down to Earth in a more literal sense. Though she had planned just to be running, getting in her cardio for the week, she had ended up taking out a few muggers and lowlife criminals before she had gotten ten minutes into her run. But now that she had taken care of them, she was enjoying the cold winter air that burned her throat as she inhaled, stinging her insides, in a refreshing way.

She knew that she had made her decision to support the team re-opening the breach up, but there was something about it all that just didn't sit well with her, and she was wondering if she had made the right choice in the first place, but evidently, it was too late to turn back now.

They were going to go to Earth-2 and they were going to stop Zoom, no matter what it took. He was the kind of evil that no world deserved, and she would help Barry stop him. She just prayed that they would all make it out alive.

Earlier that night she had facetimed with her father, glad to see that he was doing well, and enjoying his vacation in Spain that she had booked for him. Yes it had taken a lot out of her pay check in the last month, but she knew it was worth it if it went towards keeping her father out of Zoom's radar. With all the Meta's and drama with Zoom she didn't want to risk, her father being pulled into it and so she had used up some of her savings to book him a ticket and a tour to the beautiful countryside's of Spain to both enjoy a relaxing holiday and the safety of being out of the country, even if it was just for a little while, it gave her the peace of mind that she knew he was safe.

She continued running, the music pumping in her ears loudly when her eye caught a flash of yellow lightning and before she knew it, Barry was running beside her down the street.

"Hey," Sophia said, pulling out her earphones and shovelling them in the pocket of her running jacket.

"Can't sleep?" Barry questioned and she nodded, continuing to run and maintain steady breathing.

"Want to talk about it?" Barry asked.

"I'd rather just run, it's… therapeutic," Sophia said with a breathy laugh. "Plus, it's good, you know, for stamina and all that." She took a sharp right turn, throwing a wink at Barry who was surprised at the sudden change in direction.

"Or we could do something else?" He suggested.

"You have something in mind?" She asked with a raised brow.

"Something, or you know, _a few things_ ," Barry said in a low tone, a lustful glint in his eye as he began jogging backwards, watching her as she smiled at him. It had been a while since they had found time to spend with each other in between work and their superhero life. She was glad for even this brief moment they were gifted with.

"I guess we better turn back then?" She asked biting her lip, heat travelling through her body. Barry was fast in catching her as she ran, lifting her up in his arms causing her to let out a hearty laugh at his excitement.

"You guessed right, sweetheart."

* * *

Barry had spent the better part of the following morning doing research in an attempt to find a location that would be the optimal space for opening up a breach. He wondered if this would change their chances of being able to create one. He had much rather spend it in bed with Sophia, but he knew that he had to get up and get to work if they wanted to make progress. Well, that's what he told himself. But in reality, his girlfriend had told him pointedly to get to work and kicked him out of bed, and chewie, their resident cat had taken his place on the left side of the bed, keeping his spot warm and cuddling up next to her owner.

"This area has the highest levels of residual trans-dimensional energy, so you should be able to open the breach that used to be here," Barry said as he led Sophia and Cisco into the room.

It was an abandoned orphanage by the looks of it, old beds and cots still laying around in the dusty and decaying room. It was eerily silent and Sophia didn't like the vibe she was getting from this place. Sophia ducked as they moved further into the room, avoiding running into a massive cobweb that had quite a large spider sleeping upside down. She cringed and moved further away, feet dragging herself over to Barry and Cisco.

"Its right here, this is it," Barry said as his phone beeped once more, taking them to the exact spot in the room where the energy was at its highest.

"For real? In this Patch Adams nightmare right here?" Cisco asked.

"Good to know it wasn't just me thinking that," Sophia mused.

"Yeah," Barry said.

"Love it. All right."

"Look, dude, if this doesn't work, I'll stop asking you to do this, all right?"

"Okay," Cisco exhaled.

Cisco then took a step forward, closing his eyes and focusing on the energy around him in the air. He took his thoughts to the first time he saw a breach with his own eyes, imaging the curve and brightness of the illuminating energy. But once again nothing happened. He blinked his eyes open and clenched his fist in annoyance.

"What?" Barry asked.

"I can't do it," Cisco huffed, shaking his head.

"That's right. You can't," Harry announced as he walked into the room, scaring Sophia with his sudden appearance.

"What are you doing here? You said…" Sophia began after she had collected herself from the jump scare.

"I know what I said. But you guys aren't gonna stop, are you?" Harry asked.

"No," Barry confirmed.

"Okay, Barry Allen, then I'm gonna do what I can to make sure you don't get killed," Harry said. "I recalibrated these to the electromagnetic frequency of this Earth. It should help you access enough of the trans-dimensional energy to manipulate it."

"Just like Reverb."

"All I'm missing is the guyliner and the transformations complete."

"I wish you guys had taken photos, that would have been something to see," Sophia said.

"Take em out for a spin."

"It's working." The breach was beginning to form, the beautiful cobalt flowing from Cisco's fingertips like wisps in the air as they sewed together to form one entity. It was working, and Cisco was grinning, but then it soon stopped when he heard the voices. When he heard Zoom's voice. Cisco jerked back, stopping it all together, the energy dissipating right before their eyes.

"Hey, what… what happened? You were doing it," Barry asked in confusion.

"No, no, no, no. I can't do this." Cisco stumbled backwards as he moved to leave the room.

"What?"

" _Don't_. Please, don't ask me to do this. Please." And that was all Cisco said before he fled from the building, gasping for air.

* * *

"Hey. What do we have?" Barry asked, walking into the lab to see Harry and Sophia busy at work.

Sophia yawed and was about to explain but Harry beat her to it. She took this time as an opportunity to drink the rest of the water that was in her bottle, finding that her throat was as dry as the Sahara desert.

"It's your tachyon absorption enhancer upgrade. Retrofitted from when it was used to steal your speed, to now give you more of it. Almost done," Harry said.

"That's amazing. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Is Cisco back yet?" Barry asked.

"Haven't seen him. Check his workshop." Barry nodded.

"Yeah, all right."

"It's okay, I got it," Sophia said, throwing Barry a smile before heading down to the workshop in search of Cisco. The aroma of fresh coffee and the sound of metal hitting metal announced that Cisco was in fact in his workshop.

She walked into the room, careful not to disturb him as he was clearly concentrating on what he was working on. She leaned against the doorway of the workshop, watching as he tinkered away with his gadgets.

"Hey."

"Hey," Cisco replied, not looking up from what he was doing.

"I, uh, want to talk about what happened earlier?" She asked.

"Uh, not really."

"Okay, we won't talk about it then."

"Really?"

"Yeah, let's talk about something else," Sophia said, a bright smile on her face. "I was thinking of planning a surprise trip for us all. Well now that I told you, it really isn't a surprise," Sophia huffed to herself, leaning against the chair she had sat down on. "You know after all this craziness is over, I thought a little vacation would be in order. I really want to take you guys down to Kansas to meet my father, and then maybe from there we could go somewhere really relaxing, like Hawaii or something," Sophia mused.

"That would be nice."

"It would," She sighed, thinking about sunny blue skies and the warm sand on the beaches of Hawaii.

"The reason I didn't want to do it was because I saw him," Cisco said. "Jay, Zoom, whoever the hell he is. He was calling my name, he wanted me to open the breach. That- that didn't sit well with me."

Sophia frowned and opened her mouth to speak but Cisco cut her off.

"But the thing is, it isn't Zoom. It's me."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"It's like right now, I'm Anakin Skywalker. I got the midi-chlorians. I've got the goods. The Force is strong with me. That is something I can feel. But if I start opening breaches into other worlds, doing all this other crazy stuff Reverb was doing, then what if this is how I become Vader?"

"Cisco," Sophia's face was soft with empathy, but there was laughter hidden under her guise. "You're never going to become Vader. Your heart is literally too pure to be taken over by the dark side."

"You don't know that. That's what happened to Reverb," Cisco said, crossing his arms. "He learned how to use his abilities, and when he felt that, when he felt that power, he succumbed to the dark side."

"Look, I get it. I really do," Sophia said. "Sometimes I have these dreams… I mean, I have all this power, what is stopping me from going down this dark path?" She paused and then smiled, taking Cisco's hands into her own. "But then I remember that I have these amazing friends and I'm a part of a team that won't let that happen. So believe me when I say this Cisco, we're going to help you with your powers, and we won't ever let something like that happen. We're going to be here to guide you, like you and the others have guided me, like we've guided Barry. Because we aren't just friends. We're family. And family means nobody gets left behind."

"Did you just quote Lilo and Stitch?" Cisco asked, mirth bubbling in his chest.

"Hey, you quoted Star Wars multiple times and I didn't call you out on it," She laughed.

Cisco gave her a wide smile and his heart felt full of love. He was so glad that she reminded him of the family they had built here at Star Labs, it made him feel more at ease.

"You know, you're like a sister to me right?" Cisco asked.

"I know, bro." Sophia winked. "So what do you say we give it another try?"

"Let's do it."

* * *

Harry clipped down the tachyon enhancement device to the underside of Barry's lightning symbol, clicking it in place atop of his suit. A light hum emitted from the device to announce that it was in place and working.

"You're all set."

"He won't even know it's there."

"Cause whoever said aesthetics aren't important."

"Not me," Harry said. "Let's go."

"Hey, Cait, I know how hard this is gonna be for you, but we have to stop him," Barry said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder to let her know that they were all there to support her.

"I know, and I just want to be supportive. I just, I can't face Jay. Or whatever his real name is," Caitlin said, biting the inside of her cheek in frustration.

"What does that mean?" Sophia asked.

"Well, you remember when I was looking for his doppelganger, right?" Caitlin ran a hand through her hair.

"Yeah, and you couldn't find him," Barry said, his brows furrowing.

"Because there is no Jay Garrick on this Earth. His doppelganger's name is Hunter Zolomon," Caitlin said.

"Hunter Zolomon? Are you sure?" Harry asked, causing the two to turn towards him.

"Yeah, why?" Caitlin asked.

"Well, because on my Earth, Hunter Zolomon was a convicted serial killer," Harry explained, tinkering with his watch before uploading an image to the screen.

Sophia turned as well, eyes darting to the screen to see an eerie copy of Jay. Though this one looked far different to the one they had come to know. The skin on his face was pale and sunken in, dark circles under his eyes. His hair was longer, and he had a beard to match. But what was worse, was the look in his dark eyes. It was a look of insanity, a look of pure evil.

"That's Jay?" Caitlin asked in fright taking a closer look.

"No, that is Hunter. Last public photo of Hunter Zolomon. Instantly recognisable. And people from my Earth, serial killers are an anomaly, so a lot of media attention to this. There was a podcast. When Hunter was 11, his father killed his mother right in front of him. Father sent to prison, Hunter grew up in the foster care system."

"Years later he was convicted on 23 counts of murder," Barry read from the article, bewildered at the news.

"23? That's, like, some real Hannibal Lecter type level," Cisco commented.

"After the trial, Hunter was sent to the Saint Perez Mental Asylum for the Criminally Insane, given daily electroshock therapy," Harry said.

"Until the night your particle accelerator exploded."

"That's right. The dark matter crept into the mental asylum. I had thought piping the explosion underground would limit exposure. I was wrong. All it did was create an unstoppable monster."

Barry paused for a moment at Harry's words, feeling a sense of hope when the idea lit up in his head. "He's not unstoppable. Jay doesn't know that we know who he really is. He thinks that his past is a secret."

"So?"

"I think I have an idea of how we can stop him."

* * *

"Are you sure Jay can't get in here?" Iris asked as she walked into the time vault, the lights turning on.

"Pretty sure, but just in case," Harry said, filing into the room after her.

"I should be out there with Barry," Sophia said, eyes glaring at Harry. She had been talked into staying behind and she didn't like it one bit. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, doing her best to stay focused.

"In the off chance that this doesn't work and Zoom gets in here, you're the only thing standing between us and death. You need to be here," Harry said.

Sophia huffed in annoyance, closing the door as Caitlin and Joe shuffled into the room, cracking her neck from side to side before placing her hands on the wall creating a temporary barrier that surrounded the inner corners of the time vault, meaning even if Zoom did get through the first barrier that was the hidden doorway, he would be stopped by her energy.

"How do you use this?" Joe asked, holding up the sniper that held the taser-like bullets that would slow Zoom's speed down. It was an upgraded version of the old one they had used, and they hoped it would fare better against their enemy.

"All right, so you aim it, and then you pull the trigger," Harry slowly explained, a snarky expression on his face.

"Smart ass," Joe threw back at Harry, shaking his head as he did so. He looked down at the large weapon in his hands and did his best to get into position should he need to fire away.

"Barry and Cisco are in position," Iris said, holding up the tablet that contained their location and vitals on it. Seeing that they were both alright with her own eyes, eased the tension slightly, but Sophia knew that they were far from over. The fight had just begun.

"Let's hope this thing works," Caitlin said.

"In the off chance it doesn't. I'll be ready," Sophia declared, determination burning like a fire in her eyes.

* * *

"You ready, buddy?" Barry asked, eyes glancing over at Cisco who nodded. He gave him a smile, proud of Cisco's progress and how brave he was to be here. He was truly blessed to have friends like him.

"Yeah."

"You got this."

Cisco put the glasses on, and this time, as he inhaled and cleared his mind, he went for it. He thrust his arm forward into the air, the energy shooting from his hand once more to from a breach. He was relieved that he had done it, but the moment it was complete, Zoom came bounding out of it, his black boots hitting the floor with a thud.

Cisco took this as his cue to exit the building, leaving it up to Barry for now.

"Reverb's doppelganger has increased his powers," Zoom said, tilting his head to the side.

"Hatred is a strong motivator," The Flash replied with narrowing eyes.

"You were unwise to reopen the breach," Zoom warned.

"I'm not gonna let you terrorise another world anymore."

"Without your speed, you won't be able to stop me," Zoom cackled.

"Let's see." The lightning in Barry's eyes sparked as he turned around, ready to give Zoom the race of his life.

* * *

"Zoom's gaining on Barry," Iris quickly informed the others. They huddled around the tablet, eyes darting around the screen as fast as they could to keep up with the map, but the movement was so rapid that it was hard to do so. All they could see was that they were heading north of the city before rounding back, and towards Star Labs.

"He can't catch him."

"He better not," Joe said, just as the two dots were right on top of each other. Sophia held her breath, letting a shaky exhale out when they separated, Barry moving faster than Zoom.

"That was close," Sophia breathed out.

"Too close."

"The tachyon device is working." Sophia nodded, rubbing her temple. "We just have to believe in Barry. He can do it."

"Here they come."

Everyone was on guard in that moment, guns up and pointed towards the door, and Sophia's eyes glowing a bright blue as she stood there ready for a fight should Zoom come barrelling through the door.

"They're here," Iris whispered, sharing a worried glance with Caitlin who was by her side.

* * *

"Ah, you've gotten faster. Good, there'll be more for me to take."

"You want my speed?" Barry asked. "Catch me."

Barry had lured Zoom down to the training room, tapping one of the pillars as he came by, a life size image of his father popping up in front of him, causing Zoom to pause in his step, looking at the image with wide eyes.

Barry took this opportunity to pummel his face with various blows, even managing to get him on the ground for a moment before the running resumed. Barry did the same thing once more, now an image of Zoom's mother appearing, leaving him open for an assault of attacks. Barry shot a large metal clamp from a gun, throwing it to the side when he saw Zoom was now tied up.

Barry kicked him once more in the abdomen for good measure before tearing off his mask, and throwing it to the floor.

"How did you figure out who I was?" Hunter gasped.

"You made a mistake," Barry said, looking down at the monster before him with disgust. "You told Caitlin who your doppelganger was."

"I had to do something to get her to stop trying to fix me. She's a smart girl," He chuckled darkly. "And that I was Zoom?"

"The Veolicty-9. When you run fast enough, it turns a speedster's lightning blue."

Zoom nodded his head in contemplation, eyes following as Barry crouched down in front of him.

"We would have helped you. We would have done anything we could to save your life." Barry's words were honest and kind, and if Hunter didn't know any better, he would have thought that it was true. He would have believed Barry, but he was too far gone for such a thing to occur.

"Not everything."

"Caitlin found you a cure," Barry shouted, the rage exploding through his voice.

"A temporary one!" Hunter yelled back. "I'm dying, Barry. There's only one thing that can get me what I need."

"And you just don't care how many lives you destroy trying to get it? How many people you kill?" Barry screamed at him, feeling the anger bubble inside underneath his skin, boiling his blood. His mind flashed back to E-2 Sophia dying in his arms, and he punched Hunter in the jaw one more time.

"No, I don't! That feeling was taken from me a long time ago, we both know that," Hunter said, referring to what happened with Shadow. "We're not so different you know. What happened to us when we were kids. You could have just as easily become me."

" _No_. I'd never become like you."

"I got to say, that was smart. Using, uh, my parents against me. Oh, family. Such a weakness."

"Not for all of us," Barry said.

"Well that's where you're wrong. It's time I get what I came for."

"You're not getting anything from me," Barry said, tilting his head, "You're not getting anything from anybody ever again. On any Earth."

"You can't lock up the darkness," Hunter whispered to himself.

"What did you just say?" Barry took a hesitant step forward, stopping when he saw the crazed look in Hunter's eye.

"You can't lock up the darkness," Zoom spoke with a gravelly voice, eyes blackened and blue lightning surrounding his form as he ran out of there, leaving Barry sidelined.

Barry was quick to run after him, but in just a few moments he realised that Zoom was well and truly gone, he had just lost him.

"No!"

* * *

Sophia was just getting ready for bed, or attempting to when she got a S.O.S from Barry. To the best of her knowledge she knew that they had lost Zoom that night and he could be possibly running around Central City, but it had been safe for them to return home. At least they thought. Swiftly she climbed out her bedroom window, pouncing into the night, her body gliding through the evening sky, hidden in the clouds, arriving at the West Household less than a few minutes later. Her body descended, hair fluffed up from the wind as she landed on the grass outside the West's, practically barrelling through the door to see the mess that the house was.

"What happened?" She asked, careful as she walked into the room, picking up a chair that had been knocked over and setting it on the side. She noticed the state that the house was currently in and anxiety dropped in the pit of her stomach. Most of the furniture was upturned and family photos had been torn down off the walls and ripped apart. It reminded her of when Joe had been attacked by the Reverse-Flash at his house over a year and a half ago. She blinked once, turning to Iris for an explanation.

"Zoom, he took Wally," Iris said, and as soon as the words left her lips, Sophia's stomach dropped and her face paled. Her mind flashed to the kind hearted boy who had just so recently lost his mother and had joined their family.

"What? No, he- oh my god," She breathed out, eyes darting to Joe who was standing by the staircase, a cup of coffee in hand, and a distraught look on his face. " _God_ , I'm sorry. We're going to get him back," Sophia said, her ears picking up the chatter in the background of Cisco, Caitlin and Harry trying to come up with ideas.

"Do we have anything yet?"

"Yeah," Barry said, walking up to them. "We do."

"What is it that you aren't telling me?" Sophia asked. She noticed that when she came into the room, it had gone quieter.

"In exchange for Wally's life, Zoom wants Barry's speed," Joe said, his voice numb.

Sophia gasped, bringing her mouth up to cover her mouth, sure that a protest would escape her. First Wally had been kidnapped and now this. She wanted to shake her head, and tell Barry that he couldn't give up his speed, but as she looked into his eyes, he could read her every thought. She took a step backwards, her back hitting the wall behind her, giving her the support she needed in that moment.

"Barry," She began but he cut her off.

"Wally, he's a part of the family. And we do whatever we have to, to keep the ones we care about safe. It's the only way," Barry said, avoiding her gaze.

"I know. I'm… I'm sorry." She didn't know what to say. What could she say? She knew what it felt like to be in his position. She too had to make that decision. To sacrifice her powers for someone else, for something more. It was worth it of course, it always was, and she was so proud of Barry for having come to the decision. He was being brave and following his heart as hard as it may be. They both knew this, but her words wouldn't be able to offer any comfort to him, at least not in this moment. They had more important things to tend to. But her hand in his seemed enough for him for now. She gave it a squeeze, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Sophia turned slightly, eyes darting to Cisco who was sitting on the couch behind her with Harry and Caitlin. His eyes met hers and he seemed to understand the meaning behind the look. She had feared that something like this would happen, and now that it had, she knew what she had to do.

"We better get to Star Labs then," Sophia suggested, her eyes growing darker with determination. "I'll meet you guys there. There's something I need to pick up first."

* * *

Sophia had suited up, readying herself for battle. She stashed the sword in an attachment at the back of her suit that Cisco had added upon her request, though it had taken a lot of bribing with sweets and late big belly burger deliveries to his apartment, but it was worth it. Cisco had even polished the sword for her and added in a new handle that was sturdier. It was so sleek and lightweight that she almost felt like it wasn't even there, and it looked like it as well, an added fact that she was grateful for, giving her the element of surprise.

She hoped that when it came down to it, it would throw Zoom off. She was going to need all the help she could get.

Everyone was waiting down in the Cortex, but she wanted to take a few moments to herself and Barry.

"Hey," Barry said, meeting her halfway as she stood in the hall. He was wearing his own red suit, the hood resting against his neck, allowing her to take another look at his face before they went into battle.

"Hey."

"Everything is going to be alright. We'll get Wally back," Barry said, trying to reassure her. The moment their eyes met he could tell there was something wrong.

"That's not what I'm worried about," She said. "When you give up your speed, you're going to be defenceless." She was also worried about the fact that now it all rested on her shoulders. She couldn't share the burden with her partner, because she would now be the sole protector of Central City, and she feared that she wouldn't be enough.

"I'll be fine."

"You can't guarantee that." She brought her hand up to his face, cupping his cheek. "But I promise you Barry, I'm going to protect you. I'm going to protect all of us."

"I know you will."

"I love you, Barry Allen. With or without powers, you're my hero. You have my heart," Sophia declared, causing him to give her a teary smile in return. She leaned up, pressing a kiss to his lips, her touch lingering for a moment too long, their lips grazing painfully slow against each other.

"I love you, Soph, always."

"Let's do this."

She followed Barry into the room, her eyes meeting everyone else. Joe had just handed Iris a hand-gun for protection, and just that sight said it all. It was all so very real.

Zoom was coming.

"Barry, are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"I mean, we don't even know if he'll be able to hear me," Cisco said.

"He'll hear you."

Cisco put on the glasses, pressing the button on the side to turn them on, and suddenly his world shifted. He was seeing Earth-2, more specifically, he was seeing Zoom's hellish dungeon. His eyes were quick to find Wally pacing a cell and he sighed in relief that he was still alive.

"Wally's alive," Cisco exhaled, feeling much better about the situation.

"Thank god," Joe said, gripping Iris in a tight hug.

"Do you see Jay?"

"I see him. He can sense me," Cisco said, turning around in the vision. "Jay?"

 _Vibe_.

"He'll do it. Barry will give you his speed."

Sophia turned her head to give Iris a look of reassurance, the two friends giving each other strength in that moment before Zoom arrived.

"Dad?" Iris whipped her gun up to point towards Zoom as soon as he arrived, her eyes darting to her brother who was still in the devil's grip.

"Wally, hold on," Joe said, carefully keeping his gun aimed on Zoom.

"Let him go. We had a deal. My speed for Wally's life. Hand him over and it's yours."

Zoom paused, tilting his head to the side before he dropped his grip on Wally who all but nearly collapsed after he was let go. He ran towards Joe terrified of what would happen next.

"You okay?" Joe asked.

"Yeah."

"You need to get out of here now," Joe said, handing him the keys to his police car. "Go fast!"

"Cisco!" Sophia called out to him, her head nodding in the direction of Wally who was watching her with curious eyes. She had forgotten to put on her domino mask amidst all the chaos and the cat was out of the bag… clearly since she was standing there clad in her Sapphire costume.

"Let's go," Cisco said, dragging Wally's hand as they fled the room.

Sophia felt a better sense of control over the situation once Wally was gone.

"Let's get this over with."

Zoom took off his mask to reveal the face of Jay, aka Hunter Zolomon. Caitlin gasped audibly and stumbled backwards, feeling a sense of dread wash over her after seeing it with her own eyes.

Sophia didn't take her eyes off Zoom for one second, and her right hand was itching to just grab the sword strapped to her back and end Zoom, but she knew that was a last resort. She had to keep it hidden, she wouldn't win the set if she showed the opposition her hand of cards.

She followed the others into the room as Barry led Zoom into the lab where they would be taking Barry's speed away.

"This thing is how I stole The Flash's speed the first time. Now all he needs to do is run, and his Speed Force will transfer into this vial, but only as long as I calibrate it." Harry looked up, before taking a step forward, pushing his gun towards Zoom's face.

"Get to work."

"Wells," Barry warned, seeing the look in his eyes.

"One day… I'm gonna knock that smug expression clean off your face," Harry said in a dark voice before reluctantly getting to work on the other side of the room.

"So this was your plan all along, huh?"

"Ever since the skies parted and showed me another world… with another speedster," Hunter replied. "Once I saw you, I came here, figured out what I had to do."

"How are you still alive?" Iris asked, doing her best to keep her voice strong. "We say you die."

"We hoped you died more like it," Sophia muttered to herself, catching Cisco's eye who had heard her amongst the chatter. He gave her a tight-lipped grin and nodded, the look giving her courage.

"You did."

"So what was that? A speed mirage?"

Hunter chuckled, shaking his head. "Uh, no. Even I'm not that fast. I knew that I couldn't be on two Earths at the same time, so I went back in time and, uh, met another version of myself."

"Your time remnant. Like the Reverse-Flash."

"I also knew that the only way to make Barry become faster was if you all witnessed your old pal Jay die."

"When did you decide to do that?"

"Oh, once you closed all the breaches, went to Earth-2. Believe me, getting my time remnant to agree to me murdering him took a bit of convincing. But once he saw the… well the genius in my plan, he was all for it."

"Who's the man in the iron mask?" Barry asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Hunter chuckled to himself like it was some kind of inside joke, this action making Caitlin cringe, something he caught with his eye causing her to take a step back from where she was standing in the room. Whether it was out of fear or disgust was another thing entirely.

"Why the charade? Running around dressed like The Flash?" Joe asked.

"To give people hope, Detective."

"Hope?"

"So I could rip it away from them. It's so fun pretending to be a hero." His words ignited a fire in her blood.

"You are no hero!" Sophia exclaimed, eyes blazing with rage as she stared him down. "You're a monster, and one day, whether that day is today, or years from now, you will get what you deserve."

"And pray tell, what is that?"

"A painful death."

It was then that Harry walked back into the room to call Barry. It was time. Barry nodded and turned to look at Sophia, sending her a look of love. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and never let her go, to pretend like this wasn't happening but he knew he had to be strong. She gave him the best smile she could muster under the pretences, and gave him a firm nod. He knew what he had to do.

"Barr," Joe began.

"It's all right, Joe."

Barry placed his foot on the treadmill, walking to the front before turning the machine on. He took a deep breath before he began running, pumping his legs back and forth faster as he ran. Golden lightning sparked off his suit the faster he ran, but it was beginning to dissipate the more his Speed was drained into the vial.

Sophia stood by Harry, watching through the window as Barry ran on the treadmill. Her eyes trailed down to the computer before her, watching as the percentage rose to indicate the Speed Force filling up in the vial.

Sophia looked up once more to see that Barry was starting to slow down the more the Speed Force was drained from his body. She felt her heart leap into her throat and out of her chest when she saw him tumble to the ground after the process had been complete. Tears began to form in her eyes and she clenched her jaw with the anger that surpassed her sadness. She ran inside to help Barry sit up, grabbing one arm whilst Iris grabbed the other, supporting his fragile body.

The sound of Zoom's cries mixed with his insane excitement broke Sophia from her trance. She dropped Barry's hand in his lap, leaving Iris and Joe in the room with him, turning to stand and look at the monster unleashed. It was like his body was phasing in and out, trying to spread this new power and speed throughout him. His eyes were blank and black, blue lightning spitting from his soul.

"Barry, are you okay?" Iris asked.

"I'm okay. I'm okay," He panted from his position on the ground. His vision was slightly blurry, and he was sure that he was as white as a sheet.

It was then that Zoom ran into that room, standing menacingly in front of Barry, but Sophia swooped in, standing her ground, her eyes blooming a bright azure.

"Thank you, Flash."

Zoom took a step forward, as though to move towards Barry but Sophia held up her hand that was pulsating with energy.

"Don't you dare take a step closer, Zoom," Sophia warned.

"Or what, Sapphire?" He tested the waters, lifting his foot up and pressing it down one step further. Her eyes darted to his left arm, watching the way he was twisting his body, ready to fight, but she was quick. She threw her palms forward, the blast that sparked off and hit his chest hard enough to make him smash into the wall behind him, leaving not only them shocked, but Zoom himself. He had never felt power like that from her before, and it was definitely a new surprise.

"If you're so fast, then catch me," Sapphire taunted, flying out of the room in a blink, a whoosh soon following to indicate that Zoom carried on after her, leaving everyone else in the room stunned.

"What is she doing?" Barry stood up in panic, only to have his legs collapse on him once more.

"She's trying to take him on, she's going to kill him!" Cisco's eyes widened, though he knew something like this was coming, it still shocked him. He internally curse himself. He shouldn't have told her about The Shadow, and now he worried that she would share the same fate.

" _Or_ he's going to kill her," Harry said through gritted teeth.

" _Shit_. Guys, what can we do? I-I don't have my powers," Barry said, desperately, clawing at the sides of his suit. There was nothing he could do.

"I-I might be able to go and help her, but I don't know where they are right now, they could be anywhere in Central City," Cisco said.

"Go, go, and check the scanners. She's wearing her suit. Turn on the comms."

Cisco rushed into the room, practically crashing into the computers as he pulled up the audio from the comm. as Iris and Joe helped Barry into the room. Harry was already out the doors, gun in hand as he went to the rooftop of Star Labs. He knew that this would be the best vantage point if he was to help Sophia, and he was desperate to do so.

* * *

Sophia flew around Central City, moving higher and lower in an attempt to out manoeuvre Zoom. She knew that he was faster than her, but if she moved, it would make it harder for him to catch her. She noticed he was getting closer so she did what she thought best and took them back to the rooftop of Star Labs. She knew that she had the home ground advantage and she prayed that the team were thinking of anything they could that would help her.

She landed on the rooftop, her feet light as she grounded herself, eyes watching as Zoom stopped a few metres across from her, his feet creating smoke as they skidded on the ground.

"It isn't a wise choice to fight me, Sapphire," Zoom spoke, his voice belittling her. "You will not win."

"I'm going to damn well try. You stole _his_ powers. You killed innocent people and you expect me to believe that you don't deserve to die. You're nothing but a monster, and you don't deserve this power," She yelled at him, getting angrier by the moment. She could feel the adrenaline building up in her body. This was it once more. _Fight or Flight_. And she knew which path she would be taking.

She pulled out the katana from its casing behind her back, the sword gleaming in the moonlight, and with one pulse of energy, the sword was crackling with cobalt energy, the tip of the metal sparking with electricity. Her hair was flowing in the air, and her feet were off the ground as her body hovered. She could feel herself connecting with some sort of higher power, something greater than she was. Her mind flashed to the remnants of her Earth-2 self, what Cisco had told her about Sophia Wai Lang. She took strength in her doppelgangers memory and used it to fight Zoom, doing the best she could. She was doing it for her friends, her family, she was doing it for The Shadow, and she was doing it for Barry.

Seeing the sword, and the power that she radiated _shook_ Zoom for a moment, swaying his game. He was distracted and it played in her favour for the first strike. Sophia had flown like a speeding bullet, the sharp metal slicing against the black leather of his suit, cutting through the tough material and through his skin, leaving an uncomfortable stinging sensation behind as he began to bleed.

Zoom grunted in pain as soon as he felt the knife leave his skin, frustrated with himself that he got hit so quickly. He briefly glanced at the wound that now stretched from his right shoulder blade down to the middle of his abdomen, ignoring the pain and focusing on attacking her.

She gasped in pain as Zoom threw speed punches at her abdomen, causing her to double over, leaving her more vulnerable. She was quick to sprout energy off her entire body, the shock enough to stop his assault long enough for her to get to higher ground. It was only then that she spotted Harry hiding in a corner on the rooftop, his gun aimed at Zoom. She then realised if she distracted Zoom long enough for Harry to get a good shot in, they might have a real chance at defeating him.

Sophia knew that he was moving too fast at this point for her to catch him, he was basically running around in circles. But it was then that she could see the electricity building up and she had a feeling that he was about to throw a Zeus, as Cisco would have put it. With all her might she brought up a shield in front of her just in time to block the lightning that hit it, the energy shield absorbing the electricity, she then did something she had never before, she grappled the energy in her hands, twisting it around and throwing it back at Zoom. It surprised him as well and the hit was even more powerful than her usual ones because it had been charged by his lightning. It exploded against him like a rogue firework going off and Sophia took a second to appreciate the sight of sparks and colour clashing.

Harry then had the opportunity to fire a few shots, the taser like darts hitting the back of Zoom's neck and shoulder, one after the other. Harry then threw that gun down and picked up his other blaster, firing away as Sophia attacked from the front with a continuous stream of energy from her palms.

Zoom had clearly had enough. He leapt forward into the sky, reaching for Sophia, avoiding her sword with ease as he sunk his claws into her shoulder, dragging her form down to the ground. She screamed in pain as he practically tore into her flesh, feeling the warm blood seep out of her suit. He stopped, pressing a boot to her chest, keeping her on the ground. Her grip on her sword had long been gone and she had lost it across the other side of the roof. He ground his foot further into her chest, pressing on her sternum with such a great force that she almost felt one of her ribs crack.

"Any last words?"

"Go to hell," She spat, finding it harder to breathe. She closed her eyes, mustering up as much willpower as she could before blinking them open, heat vision shooting from her eyes, an intense cobalt burning through Zoom's suit, hitting his chest and then even his mask. It was enough of an annoyance to get him off her, and soon she found herself in a position of power. Her entire body was radiating energy and she was like a walking glowing form of energy.

But it seemed as though Zoom knew he wasn't ready for this just yet. She moved forward after grabbing her sword, feeling her power grow, ready to end the fight when he was suddenly gone. With a whoosh he had disappeared from sight, and she knew in an instant that he had fled. There was no chance of getting him back there unless he wanted to come back.

"Where did he go?" Sophia asked, tapping on the comm. in her left ear. She had disabled it on purpose, not wanting to be distracted, but now Zoom was nowhere in sight. Her chest was heaving as she tried to calm her racing heart.

"He's gone," Cisco said. It was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "He took Caitlin."

"Shit," Sophia cursed, throwing her sword down on the ground in anger. "Why did he leave? Why did he take Caitlin?"

"Because, I think- I think you were winning," Harry said, climbing down from where he had hidden. "He was scared of you."

"He should be. Because next time… next time, I'm not letting him get away."

* * *

 **A / N –** Did you guys love that or what?

I had mixed feelings about this chapter, I mean there were aspects I loved and others I didn't… but then again I've read over it about a million times while editing it, what do you guys think?

I kinda wanted Sophia to channel her inner Shadow this chapter. But don't worry, it's not going to be as dark as E-2. Trust me, our little softie Sophia ain't going anywhere. Sorry for the update taking this long, I've been so busy honestly, it's been insane. But here you go!

Thanks for all the new follows/faves/reviews. You are amazing, every single one of you! We're over 200 reviews and I have to thank each and every one of you for your amazing support. Virtual cookies and milk to you all.

 **Replies** :

 **ImsebastianstanButter** : Thank you! Yes, you saw here how it ended. What's your thoughts? Yay or Nay?

 **The Redshirt who Lived** : Thank you! HAHA, YES, CUE THE TRAINING MONTAGE.

 **LMarie99** : Thank youuuuu! I loved writing this fight scene at the end. Sapphire is strong, and honestly, she's gonna take down Zoom. Watch me write her take down Zoom.

 **Grace003** : Thank you, this is such a great compliment. I love it so much. I'm so glad, that characters are the essence of this story so it's great to hear I'm doing something right!

 **RHatch89** : Thank you!

 **Guest 1** : LOL. Sophia is on a roll, she just wants to kick Zoom's ass, she doesn't even care anymore at this point. Hope you liked this chapter.

 **Guest 2** : I am not going to write that episode because I have like zero time and it won't give much to this plot at all, but it might come up later in my story.

 **Beachgirlsrule** : Thank you! I do my best, it's hard sometimes, but I try my best. :D

 **Noblecrescent** : I loved writing that awkwardness so much, so I'm glad you enjoyed it too! It might be mentioned, but later. Seeing as though I had Clark exist on E1 in my first story, Kara will also exist on E1, so it's a bit tricky and I have to work around it, but not to worry, I'll get it done somehow.

 **Turtlekier42** : Thank you so much. Oh really?! I'm glad that it was fun to read here and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

 **Reyna** **Ramirez** : Thank you! Hope you liked this one too.

 **Riana Chere** : I'm so glad! I hope that you liked Sophia channelling her inner Shadow this chapter. The ending was so fun to write.

 **GuessRobin** : She's not necessarily becoming the Shadow, but she's definitely taking pointers from her doppelganger. I'm super excited to see your thoughts on how it played out! She was definitely channelling her inner Shadow.

 **Guest** **3** : Honey, here's the update. Haha, I always wait for you to remind me. Honestly, that's so bad, but I've been so busy lately, I didn't get a chance to edit, and that always takes a while. So here you go love! Enjoy!

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own characters, lines or plot from the CW series The Flash, it belongs to its respective owners at the CW and WB etc. I also do not own any references to star wars, Lilo & Stitch and any other references made in this story. I only own my original characters, plot devices and creative genius. This is an additional disclaimer and applies to this entire story.**_

Til next time.

Heroherondale. x


	20. Back To Normal

CHAPTER TWENTY

It was only when Sophia had painfully clambered downstairs that night with the help of Harry that she realised the damage that Zoom had done to her. Her body ached beyond measure, harsh bruises littered across her skin. There was a nasty laceration in the form of five claw marks that had been bestowed upon her right shoulder, the once healthy and smooth flesh completely torn apart. It turned out her collarbone had also been fractured in the fall from where he had slammed her body onto the ground. It surprised her to hear this because she hadn't even realised the bone was shattered until the team had completed a full body scan on her to assess the damage.

Sophia did her best to keep a strong resolve not wanting to crack, but having to deal with the aftermath of her rash actions was slowly creeping up on her, and she was finding it hard, especially after the news that Caitlin had been abducted by Zoom in what seemed like retaliation. Though Harry had jabbed her with enough morphine to kill a regular human, her abdomen was on fire every time she moved a muscle, the skin marred, painted with hues of black and blue. Just thinking about how impossible it would be to get up and out of bed was enough to make her dread the days to come.

And that was just the physical trauma.

Emotions were running high and people weren't sure of what to do with themselves.

Joe and Iris had returned home to explain some of it to Wally who was still shaken from his sudden kidnapping. Meanwhile, Cisco and Harry had done their best to tend to Sophia medically who was instructing them with what to do. And Barry, he was just sitting there hopelessly in the room, watching as his girlfriend got patched up, wondering why things had gone the way they had. He knew that he had to give up his speed to save Wally, but he hadn't expected the Sapphire versus Zoom fight they had all been given VIP seats for. His head was still reeling and he was dizzy beyond measure.

"How's that?" Cisco asked as he placed the square gauze down on the freshly cleaned wound on Sophia's shoulder, his other hand then grabbing a white bandage to stick on top to protect it.

She looked down, feeling her neck ache as she did so, seeing that it was placed over it well enough for her to be able to move comfortable. She inhaled sharply, doing her best to control her pain levels through her breathing, but it was getting harder as time went on. "That's good," She spoke slowly. "Did you make sure to use the waterproof one?"

"Yeah," Cisco said, eyes glancing over at the packet to double check. His hands were still shaking after it all. One of his friends had ended up injured and the other kidnapped. He just wished he could have done something… if only he had worked harder to hone his skills, to become stronger like Reverb had been. Maybe then he could have done something to prevent this all. But he knew that dwelling on it would only waste his time, instead he tried to be as positive as he could under the circumstances, hoping to figure out a plan to get Caitlin back.

"Thanks," Sophia said, closing her eyes for a moment only to be jabbed awake- literally- by a needle, letting out a whine in complaint at the sudden pain in her left arm. "Seriously, you could have said something," She muttered under her breath. That was the second time that night Harry had jabbed her with an injection.

"It's late, I'm tired, and you're tired. We're all god damn tired," Harry said, throwing away the needle. "That's another ten of hydromorphone, you'll be out before you get home."

"Can we just stay here tonight?" Sophia asked Barry, her eyes lazily trailing on his form. "I'm honestly too exhausted to move." _Or even speak_.

"Of course, that's fine," Barry said, standing up and walking over to her. "Anything you want," He said, brushing her hair wild out of her face. He couldn't believe how incredibly brave she had been, the thought made his heart ache. Especially because he wasn't sure if he should yell at her for going after Zoom on her own, or commend her for her efforts. She had gotten so far in the fight that he was sure with a little more time she would have won. She would have taken down Zoom, she would have done the impossible.

"Thanks guys, this should be fine for now. I'll see you in the morning." Cisco gave her a hug goodbye, and Harry waved them off from the window before disappearing into the night.

"Goodnight."

"Night."

Once the other two were gone, Sophia let Barry help her out of the suit, to get changed into something more comfortable. She just left the singlet on that she had underneath, finding it was too painful to move her arm to put a top on, and decided some sweatpants would be comfortable. Barry had also been sweet enough to get a wet wash cloth and wipe down her face for her, and she relaxed under his touch, finding the cool water on her skin to be soothing. It also got rid of any grime and dried blood she had crusted on her face which was a plus.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her as she carefully moved into his arms, resting her head upon his chest, listening the rhythmic thump of his heart beating. He had helped her arm and shoulder into a sling once she had changed, and hoped that by morning her bones would start to heal.

"Exhausted."

"I'm so proud of you." Barry frowned "But… _what were you thinking_?! Zoom could have killed you! I was so scared that you would get hurt out there tonight, that you would die… _just like she did_."

"I'm not Shadow, Barry. _I'm not her_ ," Sophia said, lifting her head up so he could look at him. She could see how worn out he was from losing his powers, and there was a part of her that felt guilty for attacking Zoom head on just for the fact that she had worried him. But she knew that she had to do it. The way that Zoom was looking at Barry before… she had a feeling that if she didn't go on the offensive that he would have tried to kill him, and there was no way she was going to let that happen. She loved Barry too much, she realised that it wasn't just that she loved him, but that she couldn't live without him. If she lost him, she wouldn't be able to survive.

"I know, but _, I just_ \- I can't lose you. I can lose my powers, I can lose that, _but I can't lose you_." He had lost her once before, and he wanted to never have to experience that feeling ever again.

"I know," She sighed, resting her head against his chest. " _I love you_."

"I love you too."

And they drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, the pure exhaustion knocking them out and sparing them from the nightmares for once.

* * *

"I really wish we didn't have to keep Jays' helmet around. I hate this thing."

"Well…"

"Just want to put a dent in it."

"Cisco, did you see Caitlin in your vibe?" Barry asked.

"Zoom's got her in his lair. She's scared, but she's okay," Cisco said.

" _Oh_ , _thank god_."

"All right, we need to get her back."

"I know."

"But without your speed…" Joe trailed off.

"Are you all forgetting about me?" Sophia asked, shaking her head before sitting down slowly as she walked into the room. Her body was still extremely sore, and she found it hard to sit down without cringing, but she did her best to not let it show on her face.

"No, we haven't, but you're still injured from your last battle with Zoom. You can't go there by yourself without backup."

"What about Caitlin? She's there all alone, we can't just leave her there." Sophia nibbled on her lips nervously.

"I'm not saying we're going to leave her there. I'm saying I just don't think there's anything we can do right now."

"Oh enough already, we're all suffering, we've lost snow, you've lost your speed, and now, Zoom, he can come through that breach anytime he wants," Harry said, pointing at Barry.

"Relax, Harry. We'll fix things. We always do," Barry said.

"Well right now, it's shit. And that- that's on you Allen."

" _Hey_ , that's on all of us, okay?" Sophia defended, narrowing her eyes at Harry. "We all collectively made these decisions as a team."

"No _we_ didn't."

"Well you decided to help anyway."

"Where are you going?" Cisco asked as he watched Harry pack some stuff into his backpack, grabbing his gun and throwing it over his shoulder.

"I'm going to find Jesse before Zoom does… again." Harry glowered.

" _Wait_ , you found her? How?" Cisco asked.

"Cellular dead zones, remote…" Harry trailed off. "People from my Earth vibrate at a different frequency than people from your Earth. They leave cellular dead zones wherever they go."

"That's why I'm always dropping calls around you?" Cisco asked, one hand on his hip, eyebrows buried in a frown.

"Okay, so… so wait, how did that help?"

"I track the dead zones created by Jesse since she got here and I follow the trail. It's easy."

"What, do you think you're gonna need that gun to convince her to leave with you?" Joe asked.

"You're full of questions today, aren't you, West?" Harry asked with snark. "The gun is not for my daughter. She's not the only person from a different Earth, hiding out on this one. If I run into them, I'm gonna need this."

"Okay, but you're gonna need some help," Cisco said.

"Really?"

"You know anyone with the speed to help me, Ramon?" Harry asked sarcastically, Barry shaking his head at the dig.

"You know that I can help you," Sophia said, her face dropping when she saw the look on his face.

"When you can barely stand up on your own too feet? I'll take my chances, at least I'll find her faster," Harry said, ignoring their offers as he exited the room.

"Well, can't say I didn't try," Sophia sighed, her eyes then darted across the room to look at Barry who was slouched against the wall, looking uncomfortable and all sorts of guilty. She could tell in an instant that he was blaming himself for what happened, yet again.

"It's not your fault, Barry. Don't listen to Wells," Joe said, before anyone else could. "This ain't all on you."

"Yeah, I know," Barry sighed, walking away towards the labs.

"Need a ride back to the station?" Joe asked.

"No, I'm good. I'm gonna stick around, actually. Finished all my cases this morning."

"Damn, that was fast." Cisco sent Joe a cringed expression and he winced, quickly correcting himself. "That was a poor choice of words. You do know it's okay to ease back into the way you used to do things, right?" Joe asked.

"Well, this is the only way I can fight crime. If I'm not The Flash, that's what I gotta do," Barry shrugged.

"I guess I'll see you guys later," Joe said, bidding them goodbye before leaving, enjoying Cisco's company as he saw him out of the building.

"Barry?"

"Hmm, yeah," He responded, looking up at Sophia. He had been lost in thought and nearly missed what she had said.

"You know that you don't have to act like everything's fine? You can be upset about what happened, there's nothing wrong with that."

"I know, I know, I just don't want it to overshadow everything right now. I need to be productive and come up with a plan to save Caitlin and if I keep thinking about not having my powers anymore then I'm not going to be of any help to anyone."

"Okay," She said, standing up, grimacing as she did so. "I'll help. Where can we start? Is there anyone on Earth-2 that we can trust to help us? As soon as I feel a bit better I can fly in and grab Caitlin. It can just be a quick rescue mission."

"Iris might be able to help, maybe even my doppelganger, but there's not really anyone with powers on that side that we trust, or that could help us. It seems like a majority of the Meta's on their side were evil… and with your doppelganger dead, there's no one else left it seems."

"What about that guy? Shiro? The assistant? Could he be of help?" Sophia wondered.

"Maybe. I don't know. He didn't seem to be a Meta, but he did know a lot about Sophia's life. Maybe there's something there? I mean I doubt it, but it's something."

"Could be. We need to find out."

"You can investigate later, you need to rest," Barry said.

"Honestly, I feel fine," Sophia protested, but the longer she stood up, he could see the blood rush from her face, leaving her pale and fragile looking. Not to mention that her collar bone, though now mostly healed was looking swollen beyond measure.

"Sophia."

" _Barry_."

"Go on, lay down for a little bit. I'll get you something to eat soon. You need to regain your strength." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and she sighed, reluctantly leaving his embrace to go to bed.

"I hate it when you're right," Sophia grumbled and he laughed, pressing another kiss to her lips to keep her protests at bay. "Wake me up as soon as you find something."

"I will."

* * *

Caitlin felt like she had been thrust into a horror movie, not knowing what would be coming next, only that her death wouldn't be as swift as she would like. She had a feeling it would drag on, and the torture would be unbearable until her body gave out, the last bit of life being sucked from her soul.

Okay, maybe she was being a bit dramatic there, but she knew that this wasn't going to end well. Sitting here in Zoom's lair, she was lucky that she wasn't chained up to a wall, or in a prison cage like his other guest in the Iron Mask. Yes, she was being held captive, and yes there was no way out, but at least she was allowed to sit in the corner under the table without her hands tied up as she tried to stay sane.

She figured that she was on Earth-2, judging by the décor and the fact that she was in a prison like cave. It was similar to what Barry and Cisco had described after their travels to the parallel universe.

She closed her eyes for a moment, hoping for a sliver of peace, a chance to get some rest, or perhaps even calm her anxieties, but it was soon stolen from her when she heard a whoosh similar to that of Barry's, but instead of bringing that calmness that his usually did, it brought her a sense of fear and dread that shook her to the core.

"You need to eat," Jay said.

Caitlin ignored him, trying to remember that he really wasn't Jay. He might have said that his name was once Jay Garrick, but he was Hunter Zolomon, he was Zoom. He wasn't the man she had fallen in love with, he wasn't the same person that had once shared such sweet and innocent memories with her. He was a villain, and she had to keep reminding herself that. The only reason he had brought her food was because he needed her alive. She was a hostage, and she wasn't going to give in. At least that's what she tried to tell herself as she closed her eyes, ignoring the enticing smell of Big Belly Burger and the growl of her stomach indicating it had been nearly a day without food or water.

"Caitlin," He berated, pulling her out of under the desk til she was standing up in front of him, before him in all his glory. He was wearing his suit and the sight made her sick to her stomach.

"If you want to speak to me, then take of that mask," Caitlin said, proud of herself for speaking with such strength.

He took the mask of without hesitation, the hood flopping back against his neck.

"Does this make you feel better?" He asked, his voice softer than before.

"Nothing you could ever do would make me feel better," She said, taking a step backward. She realised it had been a mistake. When she looked into his eyes it made her weak.

"You don't need to be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you. I care too much about you to do that."

"You only care about yourself… _Hunter_."

"I know you think that I'm a monster," He said, tilting his head to the side and closing his eyes briefly to rid the thoughts of his past from his mind. "I understand why. But that'll change." Despite his plea that she knew was utter rubbish, she turned her head, looking away from him. "Please, Cait…"

"Don't call me that," Caitlin snapped, throwing him a glare. "Why are you keeping me here? You're cured. You don't need me for anything."

"You're here because I love you," Hunter confessed, taking a step toward her, clenching his jaw as he watched her cowered in fear. "It may take a while, but someday, you'll start feeling that way about me again, too. Make yourself at home. You're gonna be here a while."

With that he had left the room, running away in the mere blink of an eye.

Caitlin sighed and was tempted to touch the food that he had left there, but was conveniently distracted when a figure stepped out of the shadows and into the light from their prison cell that was deep in the heart of the cell.

"Well, _hello_ , doppelganger of mine," Killer Frost smirked, standing there in all her ice cold glory. "What do you know? I can still pull off brunette."

* * *

"Dad," Wally called out to his father who was standing by his desk at work, hands juggling paperwork, greeting him with a pat on the back.

"Oh, hey, son. What a surprise," Joe said. "What's up?"

"Uh, I wanted to ask you about something… someone actually, well, two someone's," Wally said. "Uh, The Flash and Sapphire."

"What about him?"

"Well, he showed up at my street race when Iris got hurt. Then, when that man-shark thing attacked our house. And when Zoom took me, he said, someone The Flash knew cared about me. Yeah, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that that's you. Not to mention the fact that Sapphire is ya know," Wally hinted at with wide eyes. Joe had forgotten in the heat of the moment that Sophia hadn't been wearing her mask and one half of the duo was out. He hoped that Wally wouldn't be able to piece Barry's identity together now that he knew Sapphire was really Sophia.

"You want to tell me who he is? I can't do that."

"No, I know. I know. I was actually hoping that you could set up a meeting for me," Wally asked hopefully.

"A meeting? Between you and him? I don't know if I can do that either, Wally."

"Well, why not?" Wally asked with disappointment, but just as Joe was about to respond, someone called out his name.

"Joe?" A fellow detective called. "Singh wants to see you."

"Okay," He replied before looking back at Wally. "Look, maybe one day, but I mean, not now."

"Well, what about Sophia. Do you think it would be weird to ask her to meet me for coffee at Jitters?"

"I, uh, maybe not today, she had a rough night," Joe said. "Look, I gotta get back to work. We'll talk about this later."

The thought of Sophia getting injured because of him, indirectly or not made his stomach fill with anxiety. He felt terrible, and was now determined to go and visit her. Besides, he had questions for the Sapphire Knight of Central City.

"Okay, catch you later, Dad."

* * *

A day had gone past and Sophia was slowly getting back into her normal routine. Her bones had nearly healed, fusing back together once more, and it was at this point in her life that she had never been more thankful or grateful for having accelerated healing that came with having superpowers. No, it wasn't as nearly fast as Barry's but after nearly two days, she was pretty much completely healed.

She had insisted on training that morning, but Barry had caught her on the way down and told her to take it easy. She had tried to distract him with a kiss, but he saw through it and though he enjoyed the moment, he pulled her easily to his side and took her upstairs with him to the cortex.

He was being over protective, especially now that she was the sole protector of Central City. With his powers gone, Sophia was the only one out there scouring the city for Meta's and saving lives. He felt… useless if he was being honest, but he did his best to remind himself that he was still a CSI, and he was doing wonders with the CCPD in catching criminals like he used to.

" _And a new report shows that petty crimes have risen slightly this month, sparking concerns that The Flash and Sapphire…"_

Sophia turned the TV off with a press of a button, tossing the remote carelessly to the side.

"I should probably get back out there," Sophia announced.

"Where?" Cisco asked.

"On the streets. I'm healed enough, and someone needs to otherwise the City's going to realise quite soon that The Flash has taken a temporary break, and that their dynamic duo is now a solo act."

" _Permanent_ ," Barry muttered under his breath. There was no way he was getting his powers back any time soon.

"It's not permanent, Barry. We'll figure something out, like we always do," Sophia said. "But I should probably increase the frequency of patrols… I'm going to be taking on double the workload now." She was just trying to be realistic but she realised the way she had said it came across as though she was complaining, like she had this extra burden on her shoulders and she grimaced. "That came out wrong, I meant to say that we as a team, need to be covering as many saves as we can, otherwise people are going to start talking… and not the cute little kids on the street. The gangs, the mafia, criminals. They'll realise that this city isn't guarded like it once was and crime will start to rise again."

"Yeah, and I'm all for that any everything, but we have a more pressing issue at this point," Cisco said, turning around in his chair and opening up a video feed of a car accident, and a kidnapping on screen. More specific, Harry's kidnapping.

"What is that?"

"Case in point."

"What?" Sophia looked closer on the screen to see the exact moment of impact, and then a gloved hand and an unknown face pull Harry's unconscious body from the driver's seat of the Van.

"It's Harry."

"The camera in the lab van recorded an accident. See, this is my version of crash assist. It's like those Russian dash cams, but, you know, without attack helicopters and bad music on the radio."

"That does not look like an accident."

"First Caitlin's taken, now Wells," Barry groaned. "This is not our week."

"This is where he got taken," Cisco said, pulling up a map of the area, "but there aren't any traffic cams in that area."

"I'm gonna head out there, see what I can find. You coming?" Barry asked Sophia.

"Like you could stop me." She grinned.

"I'll analyse this footage and see if we can figure out who this is."

"All right."

"Wait, what was the last place the van stopped?"

"Woodmen and Shore for about 15 minutes before heading back to Central City. Why?"

"That's where Jesse must be. She should know if something's happened to her dad."

"Let's go," Sophia said, moving to get changed into something more appropriate than her sports bra, tank and shorts.

* * *

Dressed in a pair of black jeans, her favourite black and white Nike sneakers and a deep red jumper Sophia bounced on the tip toes of her feet as she waited for Barry to arrive. They had decided to meet at the CCPD before heading over to investigate what went wrong with Harry, but Barry had received a call from Singh saying he was needed at work.

In the time that he had been at the CCPD she had changed into another set of clothes, and had stopped two robberies downtown. One had been at a local liquor store near her house, and she had easily apprehended the two thugs dressed in black hoodies. She had then dropped them off to the cops sitting around the corner who had been lounging in their car, sipping on street-side two dollar coffee and donuts, powdered sugar dusting their fingers as they fumbled out of their car to stash the two men in the back seat of the police car.

Sophia had then flown up and was heading towards the CCPD, figuring she could stash her suit in Barry's lab because they were in a rush, but then she had gotten a call from Cisco saying that there was yet another robbery down at a bakery on south and pine. She had been down there in a minute or less, surprised at how fast she had flown there. Carefully she had slipped into the bakery, watching as a man held a shotgun to the face of the owner who was practically shaking as he pulled out the bills from the cashier register. The sight of this man terrorising the older man boiled her blood. She stepped further into the room, now across from the robber, her eyes a bold blue as she glared at him.

"Why don't you put the gun down, and I'll go easy on you."

The assailant didn't respond, instead whipped the shotgun from where it had been point at the owner, to in front of her chest, finger pulling the trigger immediately. Sophia didn't even have to think about it, her body's defence mechanisms worked on instinct, a blue shield of energy forming in front of her chest, blocking the bullet, almost crushing it as it fell to the ground with a clank.

The man's eyes went wide at the sight and he dropped his gun in an attempt to flee the scene, doing his best to run away, but Sophia had enough of is annoying behaviour. She leapt forward, flying up in the air a little to give her some momentum as she brought her elbow down, smashing it in the space between his neck and shoulder, the criminal giving out a cry of pain as he collapsed to the ground.

It had been a quick one as she roughly grabbed his hands, tying them up behind his back with some spare zip ties she had been keeping on her person, finding it was coming in handy these days, before dragging his sorry ass out of the shop and onto the sidewalk, where a police officer was already waiting. She gave the officer a nod, passing along the goods, thanking Cisco through the comm. for sending someone from the CCPD to collect.

She was just about to fly away when the owner had come out, thanking her for saving not only his life, but his shop. He had then handed her a box full of baked goods, urging her to take it as a thanks for her efforts. She had insisted that it was fine, but the smell of freshly baked croissants and chocolate wafted to her nose and she wasn't going to say no now because her stomach had begun growling incessantly.

So that's how Sophia found herself on a bit of a sugar high, waiting at the steps of the CCPD for Barry to come out.

"Soph," Barry's voice called out and she turned around on the step, quick to correct her movement because she had nearly tripped over her own feet. She smiled sheepishly at him when he laughed and she grabbed onto the hand he offered out to her, following him as he led her to a quiet alleyway on the side of the CCPD building where they could make their escape.

"Do you know how to get to Woodmen and Shore?" Sophia asked. "I mean, I looked at the map, but I'm still not sure." She spoke fast, and Barry wanted to laugh. She still had a bit of chocolate on the corner of her lip and she was practically bouncing with energy.

"Did you eat chocolate this morning?"

"Mmm, I had a chocolate croissant, it was so good, there's some more at home. I stopped a robbery at this bakery on south and pine, and the owner gave me some in thanks, and man, Barry, they're so good, you're going to die. The chocolate, it just melts in your mouth, it's so-," Sophia rambled, her words being cut off when his lips met hers. She sighed, melting underneath his touch, moving closer to him as his hands found the small of her back, pulling her towards him til there was no space left. His tilted his head, his mouth catching the corner of her lips, catching the smudge of chocolate that had been there, the sweet taste filling his mouth. She gasped when his lips greedily moved against hers, pressing harder against her mouth with one last kiss.

Breathless, her eyes blinked wide open, pupils dilated as she stared up at her boyfriend.

"What was that for?"

"You had a bit of chocolate on your lip," Barry said, a grin eating away at his face.

"Oh, I guess I should be more clumsy with my eating in the future," Sophia breathed, giddy from their little snog fest. She threw her arms around his neck and brought him down for one more kiss, this time she made sure it was chaste as they were running late. "So as much as I love kissing you, we better get going."

"Yeah, let's go. I'll guide us there."

* * *

With Barry acting as Sophia's personal GPS they had arrived at their destination after a ten minute flight. The area was small and hidden near the outskirts of Central City, at least an hour by car.

Sophia's eyes sought out any bystanders or pedestrians on the road and once she was satisfied it was clear, she landed herself and Barry carefully onto the ground in front of the Star Labs van that had been smashed half way in the front of the vehicle.

"This is it right?" Sophia asked, pressing the comm. in her ear to get confirmation from Cisco.

"Your standing on the exact spot it happened. They dragged Wells out of the van."

Barry kneeled down onto the floor, his eyes calculating as they darted across the road, looking for fibres, hair follicles, glass, any bit of evidence that could give them a lead. He pulled out a pair of sterile gloves from his pocket, as well as a plastic evidence bag, picking up a few bits and pieces here and there from the front of the van, and the ground where the impact had occurred, stashing it in his pocket as Sophia looked inside the front seat to see if there was anything in there. All she saw was Harry's gun, so she picked it up, using the black strap it had attached to it to rest it over her shoulders. The van would have to stay there for now, but at least nothing too incriminating was inside. Sophia was just glad that there wasn't any blood on the scene, it meant that Harry wasn't injured or hurt, and that was enough to put her at a bit of ease.

She pulled out her phone as Barry was finishing up and sent Joe a text with the location of the van, hoping he would be able to retrieve it without too much trouble. She was surprised that no one in the vicinity had called it in just yet. Then again, it did look like a bit of strangers town from where she was standing with the empty roads running for miles.

"I don't understand," Sophia said as Barry stood up. "There's nothing around here. What did the van hit?"

"I don't know. Something strong enough to exert an equal amount of force back onto the van," Barry said. "Someone was definitely here, though." He could see it in the way the Van had been hit, the metal bending around a shape that looked to be that of a human.

"Must have been a meta-human…"

"Yeah… and if it's a Meta that's after Wells… then they could be from Earth-2."

"Crap," Sophia cursed under her breath. It was just what they need. "We have to find Jesse. She might be in danger."

* * *

"Dr. Harrison Wells," A voice spoke, rousing him from the insane headache he was currently sporting. Harry blinked, his vision clearing as he came to, eyes darting around the room to find he was being held captive in what looked to be an abandoned warehouse.

"Yup. And who are you?" Harry groaned as he looked up at the figure walking closer towards him.

"Name's, Griffin Grey."

"Griffin Grey? Do I know you?"

"Nope. But you should. I'm one of your mistakes. One of your sins coming home to roost," Griffin said bitterly.

"All right, you think I… I'm from… I'm not… I'm not who you think I am," Harry lamely tried to explain, but he found that he didn't have the energy nor the heart to do so at this point in time. It would be a fruitless endeavour.

"I know exactly who you are. And you're gonna fix what your particle accelerator did to me?"

"What did the accelerator do to you?"

He picked up a piece of metal from the ground and crushed it in his hands like it was a piece of paper. Harry watched as he tossed the now crumpled metal across the room as though it was as light as leaf.

" _That_."

"Well, that's impressive. All things considered, I don't know that having that kind of strength is the worst thing you could have been given."

"Yeah, that's what I thought at first. And it was a lot of fun. Til I learned it did something else to me too," Griffin said, pulling out a piece of paper, holding up a photo of a young man. "That's me. Last year."

"You're… you're ageing."

"If this keeps happening, I'll be dead in a few months."

"How old are you Griffin?" Harry asked.

"I'm 18." Harry closed his eyes and shook his head, looking back up at Griffin with apology written across his face.

" _Look_. I'm sorry this is happening to you. But there's nothing I can do to fix it."

"Well that sucks. Cause if you can't figure out a way to help me, Dr. Wells… you're gonna die soon, too."

* * *

Sophia had picked up Jesse after dropping Barry off at Star Labs, bringing her down there as well. She could see by the look of terror and panic on the younger girls face that she was not only scared for her father, but she felt guilty. Jesse told Sophia about the fight she had with Harry that morning before he got kidnapped, and she hoped that they could find him before their last conversation ever was an argument.

"I never should have left," Jesse berated herself, looking away from the screen where Cisco had just played the video of the accident. She was pacing nervously in the cortex, and Sophia was sure if it continued, she would wear holes into the ground.

"No, this isn't your fault."

"Do we know what took him?" Jesse asked, pausing in her step and looking up at Cisco.

"That's where things get interesting. That fingerprint that you guys brought in, the one from the van, I mean," Cisco clarified.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Belongs to this guy. Griffin Grey," Cisco said, a photo of a young senior popping up on screen, couldn't be more than 17 or 18 years old.

"A senior at Central City High School?" Iris asked.

"No, wait, I've seen this kid's picture before. He went missing, like, six months ago," Barry said.

"That's right."

"That doesn't make any sense. An 18 year old kidnapping Wells."

"That's what I thought at first, but feast your eyes on this." Cisco pressed a few buttons, and a photo of an older man came up, then the two photos merged, and it was evident that the facial structure and features such as the eyes, nose and lips were all a match. It was the same person.

"Whoa, it's the same guy."

"Yeah, the blood sample confirms it."

"How is that even possible?"

"I'm not sure yet. Without Caitlin here, I can't really analyse the cells on a molecular level to see what we're dealing with here," Cisco said.

"Yeah, and I tried looking at it, but the most I can get is that the particle accelerator has affected his cells to give him some sort of strength, thus clearing up the whole accident thing and how he stopped the van. But I have no idea what's making him age like that."

"You know, I might be able to help," Jesse pipped up, walking around to the desk.

"How?"

"Bio-chem was one of my majors in college," Jesse told them.

" _One_ of your majors? How many did you have?" Barry asked incredulously.

"Five," Jesse said and when she was greeted with dumbfounded faces and wide eyes she looked at them in confusion. "What, is that not common here?"

" _Girl_ , _no_ , that is not common anywhere," Iris laughed.

"All right, let's search for that Grey, see what we come up with."

"I'll see if facial recognition brings him up and I'll have Joe check CCPDs database."

"Cool. See what you can do."

* * *

Sophia had decided that she deserved a coffee break after a long morning of flying around the city. Barry had gone down to the CCPD to investigate some more with Joe leaving her free and with nothing to do. She had been resigned to herself that she had to take a few days of work after her last encounter with Zoom, her body just not able to keep up with the hustle and bustle of the hospital just yet while she was recovering.

Sophia had been looking forward to meeting Iris for a coffee but it seemed the reporter was busy chipping away at her latest story down at CCPN leaving Sophia running solo that afternoon. Sophia pushed the door open to Jitters, the fresh scent of coffee hitting her like a wave, a smile gracing her lips as she welcomed the comforting smell. It wasn't long before she had ordered a drink and was enjoying it as she sat in a booth by the window, her eyes lazily watching as strangers strolled by on the street.

She was lost in thought and was surprised she noticed when someone slid across from her in the booth. Quickly looking up she was shocked to see it was Wally. She gave him a warm smile, uttering a soft greeting when it then clicked in her head. He had seen her without her mask. He knew that she was The Sapphire. Panic suddenly coursed through her and it was although he could tell in an instant. She wasn't sure what to say and frankly the déjà vu hit her hard, reminding her of the time that Eddie had been made privy to their secret identities.

"Hey, it's okay, I-I'm not going to say anything," Wally said, reassuring her. He had his own cup of coffee resting between his hands, sucking the warmth out of the white mug and using it to calm him down as he sat in front of The Sapphire. He couldn't believe it. In the end he knew it was just Sophia, nothing had changed, but then again, something had definitely changed. She was a whole new person, she was a superhero and he was definitely star struck.

"Uh, thanks Wally…" Sophia said awkwardly. "Sorry, I mean, this is a big mess, you weren't meant to find out."

"I know, but I'm glad I did. I'm glad I get to pass on my thanks now," Wally said. "I was wondering if you could pass the message onto The Flash as well. You both… you both saved my life and I honestly cannot thank you enough."

"You're practically family Wally, I'd do anything I could to help," Sophia smiled.

"So what's it like? Having powers? Flying that fast?" Wally was giddy with excitement, taking a sip of his hot drink to calm his nerves.

"It's amazing, there's no other feeling like it…" Sophia grinned, looking down at the cup in her hands. She could remember vividly the first time she had ever flown up into the clouds above her city, her body moving as light as a feather, flying in the wind. It was a memory that she would always cherish and keep close to her heart.

"How did it all happen? Er, I mean, if you don't mind me asking?" Wally asked sheepishly, hoping he wasn't crossing any line.

"Uh, it's fine. I mean, Joe will probably kill me for telling you all this, but you already sort of know. I, uh it was from the particle accelerator explosion a few years back. It realised this dark matter that awoke hidden genes in my DNA called the Meta-human gene. That's what gave me these powers," Sophia explained. "A lot of stuff happened, and it just led to me becoming The Sapphire. I never thought my life would ever become this, that I'd ever use these powers to save people, but I had some pretty amazing people inspire me," Sophia said, smiling to herself. She was sure that if she hadn't been witness to Barry as The Flash she would have never considered the life of a superhero, she would have just stuck to what she knew as a nurse and left it at that.

"Is that how The Flash got his powers too?"

"Yeah. You know I can't tell you who he is? Right?"

"Yeah, yeah. I just-I just want to thank you both is all. I'm glad I bumped into you here. Joe wasn't really keen on us talking about it… I think he's trying to come to terms with the fact I'm still alive after what happened," Wally admitted, eyes glancing down at his cup.

"How are you doing by the way? That must have been terrifying for you."

"It was. I mean, I had no idea where I was, who had kidnapped me… it was scary. But when I saw you all in Star Labs, ready to fight for me, to get me back, I knew everything would be ok."

At his words Sophia thoughts drifted to Caitlin, hoping that she was alright. She knew that Zoom had some sick idea of love and a relationship blooming between the two so he wouldn't hurt her but one could never be too sure. A beep interrupted their conversation. Sophia slid her phone out of her jacket pocket, her jaw hardening when she noticed the blue signal light up on screen indicating that she was needed down at Star Labs.

"Sorry to cut this short Wally, I really should be getting back, uh, to work," Sophia said, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly.

"No problem, I'll see you later then."

"Take care of yourself."

* * *

"What did you find?" Sophia asked as flew into the cortex, landing by Cisco's chair.

"Facial recognition just picked up Grey breaking into Ace Chemical down on Newbury Road."

"Is my dad with him?" Jesse asked, biting down on her lip.

"I don't know yet," Cisco said.

"We have to go," Barry said to Sophia who looked over at him with the shake of her head.

"Barr, you don't have your speed anymore. You can't- it could be dangerous," Sophia said with pursed lips.

"I just can't sit here," Barry said. "Regardless of whether I have my speed or not, I have to try to help. That's never gonna change."

"Okay," She sighed. "I'll head in there, but you wait for Joe," Sophia instructed.

Barry nodded, checking his phone. "Joe's on his way."

"I'm coming with," Jesse announced, jumping up from her seat.

"Jesse, you need to stay here. I can't protect both you and Barry and try to save your dad. We'll get him back. I promise you that." Sophia left the room to change into her suit.

"Just finish running the test on the blood sample," Barry said. "It'll help us. I'm sorry."

"Thank you, Jesse," Sophia said walking back into the room, holding her hand out for Barry who gripped her gloved hand as they left.

* * *

It was particularly windy when Sophia left Star Labs, her eyes noting the dark clouds that were brewing in the sky. She pursed her lips and hoped that it wouldn't rain, or worse, thunderstorm because she knew from personal experience that dodging bolts of lightning in the sky whilst flying wasn't a fun experience.

When Sophia and Barry arrived at their destination, they made sure to wait until Joe arrived, knowing he was only a minute out. Sophia would have gone straight in but she knew that Barry would have followed her. He had brought Well's gun with him, knowing that he would need some form of protection and that was what made her uneasy.

She saw Joe pull up in the corner of her eye and a moment later he was jogging up towards them, reaching for his gun in his holster.

"Ready?" Joe asked.

Barry nodded in response.

"I'll go in first. If I tell you to leave, you both run, got it?" Sophia said.

"Yeah."

"Good, because we don't know what we're up against."

Entering the compound that was primarily used as a storage facility, Sophia was careful in her footsteps, keeping her feet light on the ground. She would have flown around but she didn't want to give herself away, she wanted to stay low in the hopes that Griffin wouldn't see her coming.

She turned in one of the many tall aisle's the metal shelves full with equipment and stock, her eyes wary as she kept moving. The sound of metal being lifted off the ground met her ears and she turned her head slightly to look back at Joe and Barry to see if they too had heard it. When Barry gave her a sure nod, they took a turn to the left moving until they saw their target.

"Griffin Grey, CCPD." Joe called out, gun pointed at Griffin and his badge glinting in what little light there was in the factory. "Stay where you are!"

Griffin turned to look at them with glaring eyes, taking a step forward before freezing when they met Sapphire's.

"The man you kidnapped, Harrison Wells, you need to let him go," Sapphire commanded. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way." She took a step forward in front of Barry and Joe, pressing a button that retracted her cape into her suit, leaving her suit more streamline and ready for a fight.

Sophia received her answer when Griffin grabbed a metallic cylinder and threw it towards her with a strength that was surprising. Her reflexes were quick and she shot out a stream of cobalt energy, blasting the cylinder up into the air and away from them.

"Get back," Sophia yelled at Joe and Barry, the two men quickly moving to find cover behind a forklift.

Griffin continued throw more of the metal cylinders towards her and she was busy trying to keep them from hitting either herself or Joe and Barry that she didn't get a chance to retaliate.

"We just want Harrison Wells, let him go!"

"No!" Griffin yelled back before hurtling the next one so fast it hit Sophia, leaving her disorientated for a moment as she got back up off the floor.

Barry had snuck around the aisles coming to face the side profile of Griffin, aiming Well's gun at the man before taking a shot. Griffin had seen it coming, and moved out of the way, and was quick to throw the metal cylinder at Barry now instead of his previous target. With wide eyes Barry had no time to move, grunting in pain as the momentum from the hit sent him crashing into a pile of boxes on a wooden pallet before he tumbled to the ground. His ribs felt like they were on fire and he cried out as his body landed harshly in an unnatural position. He just hoped that he didn't break anything.

Sophia darted to his side as soon as he crashed, fearing that he was injured and in her moment of distraction, Griffin had escaped, getting away.

"Barry are you alright?!" She asked in a panic as she kneeled down by his side. She clenched her jaw as he grimaced in pain. This was the very reason she didn't want him to come along with her. Without his powers… she knew that it had been a bad choice.

"I think I need some medical attention," Barry gasped as Sophia pulled up his shirt to see redness swelling around his ribs, the colour blooming in contrast against his pale skin.

Sophia's eyes darted up to Joe who was standing just behind them and she looked away with guilt in her eyes. She shouldn't have let Griffin get in that hit at all.

"Let's get back to Star Labs. It looks like some bruised ribs."

* * *

Sophia was grimacing the entire time it took to wrap up Barry's ribs. They skin was red and inflamed and whenever her fingertips grazed the skin as the bandage went around, Barry gasped in pain. She could see he was going his best to hide his pain but it was inevitably still there and strong. She made sure to give him some pain killers, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. Barry gave her the best smile he could muster before easing off the bed in the med-bay. Now wrapped up and ready to get back to work Barry followed Sophia into the cortex where Jesse and Cisco were discussing their findings with Joe.

"So is genes have actually mutated?" Joe asked, trying to get his head around all the science.

"I ran the DNA from the blood sample Barry found, and the functional myostatin in his cells is essentially gone. I mean, giving him super strength."

"Guys, there's something else," Barry said. "Um, I saw him age. Right in front of me."

"He's suffering from oxidated stress. It means the protein in the DNA in his body are being ravaged by oxidants."

"So, what, he needs to up his blueberry intake?" Joe asked.

Jesse laughed at this and shook her head. "No, it means, uh, the more he exerts himself, the faster he ages."

"So if we can get him to exert too much energy…" Barry trailed off.

"Then he'll become old and weak," Iris concluded.

"Great. We have our plan," Sophia said. "Let's get moving. All we need now is a location on Griffin."

"I'm coming with you," Barry said, taking a step forward, doing his best to hide his grimace of pain but it was evident in the way he moved.

"No you're not," Sophia scoffed. "Don't you see that it was a terrible idea, you got hurt," She pointed out. "You aren't coming again, it's too dangerous."

* * *

Caitlin had endured a very interesting conversation with her doppelganger. Killer Frost had made her an offer that she was desperate enough to agree to. If she figured out a way to release Killer Frost from her cell then the ice-cold villain would help her escape Zoom's cave and hopefully get back to her Earth.

Though Caitlin agreed and got to work swiftly, she was cautious in her actions, watching Killer Frost very carefully. Using what little materials she had Caitlin was able heat up the glass that Zoom had used on the cages, increasing the friction, and thereby the rate the molecules were vibrating at, allowing Killer Frost to use her ice to break the chain.

"Well… looks like you have a little badass in you, after all," Killer Frost complimented as the ice glass shattered beneath her fingertips, allowing her to be free of her cage. Her heels clacked against the floor as she moved out of the box, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. It was beginning to get suffocating in the box.

Caitlin was just relieved that she had been able to get her out before Zoom had arrived back. A knock from the other side of the room made her jump. She turned her head to see the man in the iron mask still sitting on the ground, his knuckles resting against the glass of his cell, a pleading look in his eyes. Caitlin's heart went out to him and she hoped that maybe they could rescue him as well.

"What are we gonna do about this guy?" Caitlin asked.

"Oh, Caity," Killer Frost cooed. "I don't think he's ever going home… and neither are you." A smirk crept up onto her lips as she took a step forward towards Caitlin.

Caitlin took a step back, nearly tripping over her own feet. Her eyes were wide with fear as she saw the mist of cold forming on Killer Frost's hands.

"What are you doing? I thought we had a deal!"

"Uh, is everyone on your Earth this gullible?" Killer Frost asked, her eyes narrowing in annoyance at her doppelganger.

Caitlin moved to run, but Killer Frost had created a thick layer of ice on the floor, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground.

"Heel's aren't the best on ice, are they? You know, once I saw you, I realised why Zoom didn't kill me," Killer Frost said. "Because I look just like you. Now he won't need me anymore."

An icicle formed in said Villain's hand before it went soaring through the air, aiming straight for Caitlin's heart, but Zoom had been faster. He caught the icicle in his hand, crushing it with his fist, the ice melting beneath his claws. He savoured the look of panic on Killer Frost's face when she realised that he was there. Stumbling backwards she did her best to defend herself with her ice but he was again too fast. Before Caitlin could even register what was happening, Zoom's fist had phased through Killer Frost's chest, killing her in an instant.

"No!" Despite the fact that just a moment ago her doppelganger was trying to kill her, she still didn't condone Zoom's violence. Zoom dropped the body on the ground, turning to face Caitlin who was still on the floor watching with panic.

"Try that with him… he dies, too," Zoom warned.

Zoom had left before Caitlin had the chance to let out a sob. She was utterly and hopelessly lost in this new world. She closed her eyes and prayed that her friends would find her soon.

* * *

"Not picking up anything from facial recognition," Cisco grumbled. He had been at it for over an hour now and he felt hopeless.

Sophia rubbed her temples in frustration.

"The only cellular dead zone I can find is the one in here," Cisco said his eyes darting to Jesse in apology. "No offense."

"None taken," Jesse sighed before something came to mind. It was like a lightbulb had been lit. "Wait a second, was he wearing his watch when he left to get me?"

"Already tried that," Cisco mentioned. "GPS isn't working."

"Okay, no, but the meta-human activity would be. I mean the watch is designed to track Meta's, right? And since Griffin Grey is one, it'll keep sending a message to a server til it goes through."

"But since we're on a different Earth, it'll never go through. So it just keeps sending the same signal."

"Brilliant you are!"

"There he is," Sophia pointed out on the map. Cisco zoomed in, enlarging the map to give them a satellite image as well. "Central City Amusement Park."

"Yeah, and I'm coming with this time," Jesse asserted. Sophia opened her mouth to protest but stopped when Barry placed an arm on her shoulder.

"I'll make sure she stays safe. We won't come in, we'll make sure to stay a safe distance away," Barry said.

"Fine."

Sophia flew into the Amusement Park, Cisco directing her to Harry's location through the comm. The usual bright fairy lights that lit up the amusement park had all been switched off. Apparently Harry was being held in a storage facility just on the outskirts of the park, a part of the old Amusement park that hadn't been used in years.

"Why is it that the bad guys always insist on having the creepiest hideouts?" Sophia muttered into the comm.

"Cause they're all crazy, duh," Cisco replied.

"Right."

Sophia landed softly onto the ground, squeezing herself through the small gap in the opening to the large storage room. She could hear voices ahead indicating she was in the right place. She took in a deep breath and recalled her strategy and how she would take Griffin down. All she needed to do was provoke him into attacking her, thus exerting his energy.

At this point she could hear their words clearly, realising they were in the middle of a conversation about something. Slowly she crept into the room, her eyes darting to Harry who was standing defensively with his back towards an exit, Griffin standing in front of him.

"This is gonna cure me?" Griffin asked.

"As we say in science, I'm cautiously optimistic," Harry replied, eyes darting back and forth between the exists around the room.

"You know, I learned a lot about chemistry in the past two years."

"Is that right?"

"And I know all you've been doing is diluting that compound for the past half hour. You don't know how to help me, do you?"

"There is no helping you," Harry said, carefully taking a step back from his captor, watching the anger grow inside of him, Griffin's face turning red with fury.

"I told you, you were gonna fix me or you were dead!" Griffin roared, picking up a long pole and bending it in half, the metal snapping into two pieces with jagged edges that were now aiming to skewer Harrison like a kebab.

Sophia aimed a powerful blast of energy at the metal skewers that Griffin had created, the energy hitting it with such a force that it was sent tumbling across the room, clanging loudly as it crashed into the ground.

"Oh, its' you again," Griffin huffed as The Sapphire flew in front of Harry in a defensive position.

"Get out of here, Joe and Barry are waiting outside," Sophia quickly yelled at Harry, pushing him towards the exit. He wasted no time in making a run for it, leaving Sophia alone with Griffin to deal with.

"I just wanted Dr. Wells, we don't have to fight," She said, giving Griffin the option to back down.

"And I just wanted him to fix me. But he can't. So it seems as though I'll be finishing both of you off today," Griffin growled, picking up an old tea cup seat from an amusement ride, and thrusting it in her direction, Sophia barely dodging the hit.

Now that they were alone, Sophia knew all she had to do was provoke him, and dodge his shots and it would all soon be over. She flew up into a defensive position in the air, bracing both hands out in front of her, a blue barrier forming in the shape of a large shield, blocking the debris and objects that he pummelled at her in an attempt to hit her.

Sophia changed from defensive to offensive, waving her arms around as she formed a sphere of energy that she threw toward him, but he had blocked it, using a large piece of an old car door to block the hit.

"Is that all you've got," He taunted.

This time her hit was so fast, that he didn't see it coming until it was too late, the blue energy zapping him right in the chest, leaving him groaning as he pushed himself up from the floor where he had harshly landed upon impact.

"Is that all you've got, Grey?" She threw his words back at him and this seemed to make him angrier. She watched in both awe and disgust as he aged once more, his skin becoming saggier and wrinkles appearing out of thin air as he punched the ground, sending the concrete ripping in waves in an attempt to trip her, but she was quick, finding herself off the ground once more and in the air.

Sophia flew out of the room, taking Griffin further into the amusement park, keeping him on her tail to ensure he was following.

"We can help you," She called out as he once more threw precarious objects from the park around him towards her.

"It's too late for that," He yelled, his voice sounding weaker by the moment. "Not everyone got the powers you did, or your friend The Flash. Some of us weren't so lucky."

"Griffin! Please, stop! You're killing yourself," She yelled, hoping he would see reason. It was hard to watch him throw his life away even if he was their enemy. He was just a kid after all, a kid who had something bad happen to him, who was scared and unsure of what was to happen next.

"I might be getting older, but I'm stronger than ever!" He roared, his body running towards her, throwing a punch to her chest, but it seemed as though it was the last time he would speak forever as he grunted, collapsing at her feet, her shield taking the brunt of the hit.

"You good?" Cisco asked, unsure of what happened as he didn't have a visual on his end.

"Yeah," She whispered into the comm. looking down on the elderly man resting at her feet. Griffin Grey was dead. "It's over."

* * *

Sophia had been able to organise with Joe to get Griffin Grey's body to get back to his family. He deserved to have a funeral like anyone else, for his loved ones to mourn for him. It was a sad sight to see, but it would give them closure to know that their son was at peace now. They left out the details about the kidnapping, it wasn't worth it to torture Griffin's loved ones with the thought that he had done something bad, because in Sophia's eyes, he was an innocent kid who had lost his way when the universe had given him something he couldn't handle, something that was killing him. She didn't blame him for it.

Harry and Jesse had made up quickly, embracing each other and promising that they wouldn't let anything get in the way of their relationship in the future, the father and daughter reminding each other that they were all that they had left and they needed to make most of that on this new Earth that was soon becoming their home.

Sophia was now standing on the rooftop of Jitters, waiting for Barry to show up. After speaking with Joe and Iris it was decided that they would allow Barry as The Flash to speak to Wally. He needed that closure, the ability to say his thanks and move on from what happened with Zoom. She was dressed in a pair of her signature black denim jeans, feet clad in a pair of chestnut coloured ankle boots, and her body wrapped in a warm baby blue jumper, keeping her warm from the cold air that night.

Wally crossed and uncrossed his arms nervously, pacing he floor of the rooftop, eyes darting around nervously at the starry night.

"Relax, he'll be here."

"What should I say? I don't even know where to start?" Wally panicked.

"Just be honest. Speak from your heart," Sophia said. "He'll see that. Just like the way you spoke with me."

"Okay."

When Wally wasn't looking, Sophia caught Barry's eye from around the corner where he had been hiding, giving him a wink as he walked onto the rooftop.

"Wally West," Barry spoke, his voice hidden with the new tech that Cisco installed into the suit considering he wasn't able to use his powers to do it anymore.

"I'll see you later, Wally." Sophia smiled before saluting the two of them, flying off into the night, and leaving them to chat.

"You wanted to see me," The Flash spoke.

"Yes. I did. I mean, I… I do," Wally said, stuttering with his words. He cleared his throat, scratching at the back of his neck. "I just wanted to thank you for saving my life. And I know that, that came at a huge price for you. And I don't know how I'll ever repay that. I guess, what I wanted to say was that… I'm not gonna waste this chance that you've given me," Wally breathed out. "So, thank you."

"You're welcome, Wally."

* * *

"You okay?" Hunter asked, kneeling down to Caitlin's level, placing his hand on her shoulder, feeling her body shiver under his touch.

"Stay away from me," Caitlin yelled, moving backwards, cowering under his gaze.

"Killer Frost tried to kill you, Caitlin. I saved your life. You should thank me," Hunter said, standing up and dusting the dirt off his jeans.

"I just want to go home," Caitlin said.

"No. Stay."

"I want to leave! Please. Take me back to my Earth," Caitlin pleaded.

"You know… I've always measured my success by counting the number of victims I've had," Hunter mused. "But now I think I'm going to widen my scope. Start counting the number of Earth's in conquer instead."

His words scared her, and she withdrew from reality into herself, fearing what the future would hold.

"You want to go home? Then let's go. After all, this Earth has already been brought to its knees," Hunter cackled, his mind eagerly satisfied at the images of Earth-1 burning under his power.

* * *

"I still don't know how we're going to get Caitlin back," Barry said, his face dropping. "Sophia's never been to Earth-2, it leaves her at a disadvantage, and to go on her own… I can't let that happen. If something happened to her… I don't know what I would do."

"Sophia's proved that she is strong enough and that she has the power to get the job done, the problem is that now that Zoom has your speed, he's faster than ever, faster than her. Judging by what happened to her counterpart, she can't take on Zoom, a speedster without your help, or without back up of some kind, especially on his home ground, it's too risky."

"But I don't have my speed. What are we going to do?" Barry leaned his head against the table in frustration. It had been a long day and he just wanted to go home to his girlfriend, to hold her in his arms and pretend like the world was alright, but he was still here at Star Labs at the insane hour of one in the morning, talking with Harry.

"You know, Grey… Grey kidnapped me because he thought I was the Harrison Wells from this Earth, and I know he was talking about another guy, but I just… I can't help but think. I still haven't paid for what I've done."

"What does that mean?" Barry asked, looking up at Wells.

"I thought, you know, when you… when we closed the breaches, I could just forget about everything I've done, but I can't. I realised what I can do," Harry said. "You are gonna get your speed back, Allen. And I'm gonna help you do that."

"How?"

Harry laughed softly, a look of insanity brewing in his eyes. "By creating another particle accelerator explosion."

* * *

 **A/N –** **I had an issue with uploading this chapter, it still says that this story hasn't been updated since 18th of April, so please let me know in a review if you received a notification or in your following list that it is recorded as updated otherwise I'll have to delete it and then re upload the chapter. Thank you!**

Thank you for all the love and support on the last chapter. I am so glad that you all loved it. It was definitely a great one to write, and I hope this one was just as satisfying.

I'm sorry to say that the wait for the next chapter will again be a few weeks, I've fallen behind on my writing schedule and need to build up some more content. I promise it won't be too long though!

 **Reviews:**

 **Grace003** : Thank you for your kind words! So glad you liked it.

 **ImsebastianstanButter** : I'm glad you liked her channeling her inner shadow, and you are right, you saw how things turned out for her! It's starting to get serious, but I think Barry let her off pretty easy this time, the shock was more toned down, he's feeling more helpless than angry and I wanted to let that show. I know, poor Barry!

 **LMarie99** : THANK YOU! Writing that fight scene was so much fun, I felt like I was there fighting Zoom!

 **Riana Chere** : Thank you, thank you, thank you! She really would do anything to protect those that she loves. She is very brave!

 **GuessRobin** : Thank you. I would love to become an author one day, it would honestly be so much fun. Who knows, in the future we'll see how it goes! But for now, I love writing for you guys so thank you for the support and the reviews.

 **Guest 1** : She had previous history of martial arts as a kid/teenager, and she's taken that and used it towards her sword fighting, but then again her technique isn't the greatest and she is a bit rough around the edges, but I don't think I'll have her keep the sword as a permanent thing, I think its' just a phase she's going through with Zoom right now, but we'll see! Yeah she did learn some hand to hand combat stuff from Oliver in the first story, but she's definitely grown with it, I think she's taken to using her powers more against meta-humans because that's what's going to give her the best result in the end. Thank you so much for your review.

 **Guest** **2** : She's giving Barry a heart attack every time! I'm glad you liked it. :P I tried to update sooner this time.

 **Reyna** **Ramirez** : I am so glad you liked it. I love her fighting style, it's so much fun. Thank you again!

 **RHatch89** : Definitely, we are here to see more of the Sapphire Knight!

 **Samantha** : Thanks for your advice. I posted a disclaimer at the beginning of this story for the entire thing but it's always nice to have a reminder to pop one in every now and then. But most of the references made to like star wars and stuff were actual lines from the show that I used and it's all under my disclaimer.

 **Guest 3** : Love, love, love your review! Thanks for the support, I need the motivation to keep writing when I'm so tired!

 **Beachgirlsrule** : SO glad you loved it.

 **Turtlekier42** : THANKS LOVE. I'm glad, I actually thought it was an alright chapter but you guys obviously enjoyed it a lot! I think sometimes when I edit I read over it so much that it becomes boring to me, or loses that wow factor, but thanks for the review.

 **Guest 4** : Sorry for the cliffhanger! Who am I kidding, I loved writing that cliffhanger. I'm assuming you are the same guest reviewer who left two more after this one? But yeah, Sophia guided Cisco through it, he was the nurse this time round, a nice change of pace, don't you think? Barry was frustrated, but he was more upset than anything, poor Barry! He's being tortured all the time. Thank you for your review!

 **Gossamermouse101** : Thank you! Hope you enjoy this one too.

 **Guest 5** : Honeyyyyyyy, here's the update. As per usual, you've reminded me to upload. I just got back from work and I'm so tired, but here is the chapter, and now I don't have to have it sitting in the back of my mind! Enjoy sweetie.

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters taken from the hit TV series The Flash, they belong to the CW and Warner Bro's & respective owners. I only own my own original characters, plot devices and creative genius. This disclaimer applies to all chapters (past, present and future). **_

Til next time.

Heroherondale. x


	21. Rupture

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The sound of a suitcase being dragged up the flight of stairs outside Sophia's apartment wasn't enough to rouse her from the deep sleep she had been in that Sunday morning. But it seemed that the knock on her door that would follow was just enough to do so.

She groaned, lifting herself off her bed with bleary eyes, doing her best to untangle herself from Barry's long limbs that had been attached to her all night long. The sound of knuckles pressing against the wood of their front door hadn't woken him, or her cat either, and she mused to herself how she was always being disturbed from her sleep.

Looking down at her state of undress, she knew it wouldn't be the wisest idea to answer her door with just one of Barry's pyjama tees and her white lace underwear. Blinking her eyes once more she quickly grabbed her long baby blue robe that was hanging behind the door, pushing her arms through the sleeves as she yawned.

The person knocked once more and the loud noise shocked her, almost making her tumble across a pair of shoes that had been laying in the front hallway of her apartment.

"Coming," She muttered under her breath, doubting that whoever it was could even hear her. Her hand reached out, undoing the dead lock and twisting the key in the knob just underneath it, opening the door to see someone she had not expected.

"Pa? What are you doing here?" Sophia asked in disbelief as she laid her eyes on her father, mouth ajar in shock.

"Can't an old man come and visit his daughter when he wishes?" Arthur Lang teased, a warm smile gracing his lips.

Sophia's shock soon morphed into wild happiness as she leapt forward, grasping her father in a tight hug.

"I missed you so much, my sweet child," Arthur whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She smiled letting go of him before ushering him inside her home, taking his bag and placing it by the front door.

"You certainly surprised me," Sophia said.

"That was kind of the point," Arthur laughed as he took a seat on her couch.

"Tea?"

"You know me too well. Where's your other half?" Her father asked.

"He's sleeping inside. He's had a long week," Sophia said. She hadn't realised how time had flown by. It was already moving into the second week since Barry had lost his powers and Caitlin had been taken from them. The issue remained that even if Sophia went to Earth-2 to rescue Caitlin, she wasn't a match for taking on Zoom on his own turf. She knew he had a multitude of Meta's at his beck and call and it would be impossible to travel there and save their friend without backup. It was essentially a suicide mission. And though she knew in her heart that if it was the last resort, she would do it, she also knew that those around her would make sure it wasn't an option.

She tilted her neck from side to side, stretching out a bit before pouring out two cups of tea, taking it over to the couch and placing it on the table in front atop of a few green patterned coasters that had belonged to her mother.

"I can't believe you're here, you do realise that you've never come to visit me in Central City before right?"

"I know and that's why I figured it was time I came down to visit my daughter and see what her life was like here," Arthur replied. "I like your apartment, it's very homey." His eyes crinkled in mirth as they found the little turtle sleeping in the tank across the room, and her cat that was now lounging next to their feet on the warm carpet.

Sophia's face become serious and she licked her lips nervously, unsure of how to put her next thoughts into words without it being seen as offensive. All the misery and troubles that had been haunting her lately had come crashing down once more, bringing her back to reality.

" _Pa_ , as much as I love this whole surprise, you shouldn't be here. Central City isn't safe right now… Zoom… he's more dangerous than ever, and I can't put you in harm's way by having you here. You're the only family I have left, _I can't lose you_." She brought the mugs of tea and rested them on the coffee table by the couch, the steam rising from the cups.

" _Sweetheart_ ," Arthur began, using a soft and calming voice that he always did when she was a child. She recognised it in an instant, it was the voice he used to get what he wanted, to make her feel safe and calm, like there wasn't a worry in the world. She frowned at him and his eyes crinkled with mirth as they read each other's thoughts. "There's always going to be danger in life, always something or someone out there, but we can't live in the shadows, hiding and cowering in the dark. Sometimes just being here, is enough to show the world that we're fighters."

"Pa, _you aren't a fighter_. You're my father, my father who recently had a heart attack, whose still recovering from it might I mention. I- I just want you to be safe," Sophia confessed.

"I'm only staying for a few days," Arthur announced, rolling his eyes playfully at his daughter who nudged his arm lovingly. "I actually have a meeting in town for one of my latest business ventures. I figured I would come and visit you for a while as well."

"Well, where are you staying? You can stay here, otherwise Joe has plenty of room at his place," She offered.

"I've organised to stay at a hotel already, it's close to where my meetings are in the city, plus I know that you don't have much room for guests here," Arthur said. "Also I want a chance to catch up with Cecile if possible whilst I'm here."

Sophia was just about to inquire as to how busy his schedule was when Barry stumbled out of their bedroom with tired eyes, and just a pair of boxers on. Barry was red with embarrassment at the sight of Arthur trying to contain his laugher, and Sophia could feel a blush blooming on her cheeks. Barry was quick to mumble an apology, nearly squealing as he ran back inside to change into something more appropriate. The only downside was that Barry didn't have his super speed, so that running just gave them a better view.

"A-Arthur, I didn't expect to see you," Barry apologised, walking back in the room with jeans on and his Star Labs jumper, adorning his bed hair still it seemed.

"It's good to see you too, Barry," Arthur laughed, greeting him with a tight hug. "Though, I do appreciate the new look and seeing less of you," Arthur joked and Sophia wasn't sure who felt more mortified at her father's joke, herself or Barry.

She was sure she was winning in this department.

"Uh, anyone for breakfast at Jitters?" Sophia asked doing her best to diffuse the currently awkward tension. She knew that her father adored Barry, but right now she just felt uncomfortable at what had just happened, and frankly a bit mortified that her father knew what her boyfriend looked like in his boxers. She internally shivered and turned to look at Barry who nodded, pulling out his phone.

"I'm in," Arthur said.

Barry beamed. "I'll call Joe."

* * *

A casual grey body-con dress was wrapped around Sophia's body, a copper red leather jacket keeping her warm, and a pair of black boots adorned on her feet. Barry held the door open as they entered Jitters, letting her walk in first, and then her father before following. Sophia's eyes darted around the coffee house until they met Iris who was sitting in the back corner, a table already reserved, with herself, Joe, Wally and Cisco.

Harry and Jesse had taken the day to themselves and Sophia was glad that they were spending some more father/daughter time together. It also meant that there was less to explain to her father about alternate universes and doppelgangers. She wasn't quite ready to divulge that much information. She didn't want the stress of it all making her father worry.

Sophia smiled brightly and waved at Iris, grabbing her father's hand and pulling her towards the table.

"Hey guys," Sophia greeted, tucking a strand of her loose hair behind her ear. It felt weird having her hair hanging out. She had gotten used to having it tied up when she was flying nowadays and at work in a braid of some sort. It felt nice for something a little different.

"Hey Soph," Iris beamed.

"Yo," Cisco was proficient in greetings as per usual.

"I'd like to introduce my father, Arthur Lang," Sophia smiled. "This is Joe West, and his kids, Iris and Wally," Sophia introduced, Arthur giving them all handshakes. "And this is Cisco Ramon, one of my best friends."

"It's lovely to meet all of my daughter's friends. She speaks highly of you all," Arthur spoke.

"Aw shucks, that's too sweet, Soph," Cisco said.

"Have a seat," Joe said.

"It's great to finally meet you Joe, I've heard a lot about you from my daughter and Barry," Arthur said.

"Likewise, I'm happy you were able to make this trip," Joe said. "It's always a pleasure to meet family."

With bright smiles and their hearts warmed for the first time in these past weeks they shared a breakfast, enjoying conversation and old stories, laughing as they all took the morning to relax. They knew that being stressed wasn't always the answer to fixing things and they needed to reenergise before getting back into the game.

After sharing many embarrassing childhood stories of Sophia with her friends, her father had to politely excuse himself to head off to a meeting he had downtown. Sophia offered to take him there but Joe was insistent on giving him a police escort, using it as an excuse to get to know Arthur better as well.

That's how Joe West found himself having an awkward conversation with Sophia's father, a man he had only met a few hours ago.

"So that's the real reason you came to Central City?" Joe asked, eyes glancing over at the man sitting next to him in the car.

"Yes," Arthur sighed. "She's my only daughter, my only family left and I don't want her to get hurt, Joe. I lost her once before," Arthur confessed, eyes filled with sorrow. "I don't think my heart can take it a second time. I'm getting older now, I'm older than you," Arthur laughed. "I just want her to be safe. After what happened with Barry losing his powers, I'm just glad that he's alive. I wonder if the longer this goes on, the casualty list will grow. It is not something I wish to see, you must understand this."

"I do," Joe replied. "Believe me, I do. Every time Barry puts on the suit I wonder if it'll be the last time I see him. I wonder if one of those criminals will get the better of him. But I realised that I can't think like that. I can't let it control my life- control their lives," Joe said, pulling the car up out front of the hotel that Arthur was staying at.

Joe turned to look at him.

"They're both doing incredible things. They are saving lives every day. As their parents we can worry and we can fear for their safety, but ultimately, we have to support them. Because if we don't, if we as their parents don't believe they can do it, that they can make it? Then they won't. Working as a cop for so long I know that doubt… doubt is death."

"You've had a lot of time to think about this then," Arthur spoke.

"Well when you're trying to look after two insanely brave kids like Sophia and Barry as they go out to save the world, you have to."

"I have to thank you for that. For being there for my daughter, for supporting her like you have. And for Barry as well. You've done something that most wouldn't have. You're a good man, Joe West."

"I do it because they're family. We support out family above all else."

"That we do."

"I should be off. I actually do have some meetings in Central City whilst I'm here. It was good talking with you Joe. I feel more at ease about it now. It's been difficult being unable to discuss it with anyone, and from the point of view of a parent."

"I'm glad I could help."

* * *

Days had past and Sophia was almost in tears as she waved off her father goodbye. It had been an amazing few days that he had spent with her and it made her realise just how much she had missed him, had missed her family. She knew that she had created a new family in Central City with her friends, Barry and the team at Star Labs, but seeing her father again made her realise how much she had missed her mother.

It was as she was dropping her father off at Central City Airport that she realised it was the anniversary of her mother's death in a few days. She knew that there was no time to go back to Kansas to visit her grave or to be with her father during this time, but she felt like she had to do something.

So that Wednesday, Sophia had taken Barry down to the graveyard in Central City and went to visit her friends that had passed. They laid beautiful tulips, sunflowers and peonies atop of the graves of Eddie Thawne and Ronnie Raymond, paying their respects.

Sophia had then asked Barry if he would like to go and place some flowers by his mother's grave but he had immediately shrunk back into himself and she didn't push it further. She knew that he had told her it had been tough to visit his mother's grave for the funeral, and to this day she still wasn't sure if he had ever been back. It was a sore spot for him, and with his powers gone as well she didn't want to make him feel any worse so she let him be.

Suddenly their week seemed to be drained of the happiness that had burst into their lives only a few days ago. It made her wonder if that was what the rest of her life would feel like, but Barry assured her that once they stopped Zoom, once they ended it all then it wouldn't. Things would go back to normal, and for once, Sophia had hope, she held onto it, gripping it like a lifeline. Because if this was what life would be like, she didn't want any of it. It was far too depressing.

She decided that she needed some more excitement back in her life. So that's where patrol came in.

"Soph, there's a high speed chase heading south on Milton Ave," Cisco called out at her.

"I'm on it."

Shifting like a dart in the night, her body soared, slimline and sleek moving in and out of traffic, her eyes catching the perps quickly. She flew faster, getting ahead of them as they turned down south moving onto an emptier road. She was glad that there was no oncoming traffic and the two perps on motorbikes seemed to be heading exactly where she wanted. She landed, turning around on the road to see them both heading directly towards her, their bright headlights flashing in her eyes uncomfortably.

She smirked, and it felt like time had frozen as the cobalt energy sprouted from her fingertips, forming a large glacier like barrier a few metres in front of her, the two perps not having a chance or enough time to turn out of the way. Their motorbikes came crashing into the barrier incapacitating them in less than a second flat.

Both the man and woman who had been trying to evade Sapphire's tactics groaned audibly from the floor, not even bothering to move off the cold and wet road as they knew they had been bested.

"Like taking candy from a baby," Sophia said to herself, shaking her head with laughter.

Seconds later, Joe and his partner rolled in their police car, escorting the two perps to the CCPD where they would face charges of arson, theft and obstruction of justice.

Sophia flew back to Star Labs where the rest of the team were awaiting her arrival before their meeting, and she had to admit, it did feel amazing kicking ass and cleaning up the streets. It had definitely boosted her morale, and allowed her to be somewhat less stressed for the meeting that would take place. She had briefly touched on the topic of it with Barry a few days ago, but she was definitely not feeling their new plan at all. There had to be another way.

"Talk about a long night," Sophia mused as she walked into the cortex, tossing her domino mask onto the desk and lounging out in a seat, still decked head to toe in her uniform. A coffee was then thrust into her hand, and a kiss pressed to her forehead. She smiled at the scent of coffee wafting through to her nose.

"Thanks love," She whispered, glancing up at Barry who was standing behind her chair.

"Well, now that we're all here, why don't we get started?"

"Go on," Sophia said, taking a sip of her drink.

"I think it's time we discussed properly about rebuilding the particle accelerator to get Barry's speed back," Harry said, and instantly he was met with disapproving stares and voices of protest from not only the West family, but Cisco as well. Sophia remained silent and Barry too was unsure of what to say.

"It's the only way we're going to get Caitlin back," Barry said.

"I told you, I can fly through the breach, and go and get her. I'm more than capable of doing that."

"I know you are, we all know how strong you are. But Zoom, he's faster than you. If we send you in there alone, to an Earth you've never been to, we risk not only putting your life in danger, and Caitlin's in more, but we risk the danger of Central City. You are its only protector at this point in time. We need to get Barry's speed back, it's the only way we all get out of this alive," Harry voiced.

"Yeah, that's what you keep saying. But if we don't try how will we know?" Sophia asked.

"We know because Shadow, your counterpart was slaughtered by Zoom. She was more powerful than you, she was more agile, she was stronger, she didn't have anything left to loose and still, and she was killed by him. I don't want to watch another friend die again. We can't underestimate him," Harry said.

"Look," Joe started, bringing the attention of Harry and the team towards him. "We all saw what that explosion did to this city."

"Not to mention, last time we tried something like that, we blew a hole in the universe and created, like, 50 portals to your Earth," Cisco pointed out.

"Which is exactly how Zoom and his henchmen got here in the first place," Joe finished.

"I told you," Harry said with frustration, "I know how to contain the explosion."

"Are you sure? Because it's something we can't rely on going wrong. You need to be certain that you know how to contain it."

"Yes. I am."

"Really? You know how to contain a dark matter explosion, that last time, just radiated all of Central City? You tried this on your Earth, remember? Didn't go so well."

"And even if you could contain it, I thought you said that Barry couldn't tap into the Speed Force anymore?" Iris asked.

"It wasn't connected the first time he got his powers," Harry clarified.

"He does have a point," Sophia said, rubbing the side of her temples with her fingers as she focused her eyes on the cup of coffee on the desk in front of her in thought.

"Look, I have your Well's data," Harry said. "The Harrison Wells from this Earth, I have his science. I know what chemicals need to be in your body. I know how the lightning needs to bond with the dark matter from the particle accelerator explosion. I can recreate the circumstances to get your speed back. This will work," Harry said. It was silent and when no one replied to his offer he stood up from his seat, pacing around the room, his arms waving in the air. "Your subterfuge, it's not going to last. But more importantly, it's not gonna save Snow. You wanna be ready should Zoom return, if he returns… when he returns. There is only one way to do it and that's by getting your speed back."

"Say Barry goes ahead with this seemingly insane idea. What happens if it doesn't work? What happens to him?"

"It might kill him."

Sophia shook her head, sitting up straight in her seat. She had been open to the idea of trying it, but if this was a possibility, then she wouldn't stand for it. "No, he can't. If this is the outcome if we fail, then it's too much to ask." The tone of her voice was final.

"Soph, we have to try. It's our only option."

"You possibly dying is _not_ our only option," Sophia scoffed, jumping out of her seat to turn around and face him.

"Neither is you! Don't you see, I'm trying to protect you as well?!" Barry yelled, clenching his jaw in frustration.

"Joe! Help me out here," Sophia said, turning to look at him.

"Barry, there are other options, we can't do this, there's just too many risks."

"I have to do this," Barry said. "It's the only way I can get my speed back. It's the only way we save Caitlin and stop Zoom."

"There has to be another way, we can find one, make one, I don't care, but we can't do this. If it doesn't work, don't you understand what that means? That means you die. You, Barry! Not me, not anyone else, _you_. Don't you care?" Sophia asked with wild eyes, her chest heaving from her rant.

"It's because I care so much," Barry said, eyes softening when he saw how hard she was taking it.

Sophia opened her mouth to reply, but she was at a loss for words. How was it that when she was in danger, or the idea of her being hurt gave him the right to be so protective, so upset, but when it was the other way around, she was left to worry and wonder what would happen next. She bit the inside of her cheek in an attempt to keep her emotions at bay, but she could already feel the tired tears forming in her eyes.

"I can't do this right now," Sophia announced softly, stalking out of the cortex, leaving the rest of the team behind, watching in uncertainty and silence as she left.

* * *

"Hey," Barry greeted as he walked in.

"Hey, yourself, slugger. You made it."

"Yeah."

"Look at this," Henry said, pointing to the stars in the sky. It was a beautiful night, late but he was glad that Barry could come over for a bit. He brought him out into the back of the small house he was currently renting, settling down two cups of hot chocolate on the deck as they took a seat, enjoying the cool breeze that travelled through the night.

"Sure is a pretty drive up here," Barry said. He had enjoyed the quiet night, the only sound the steady hum of the engine of the car he owned but hadn't used in nearly a year. He had put the windows down, the chilled breeze of the night cooling him off and keeping him sharp until he reached his destination.

"It is that. I can't help but wonder why a speedster needs a car," Henry commented.

"Because I am no longer a speedster," Barry said solemnly, looking down at his hands.

"You've lost your powers?" Henry gasped.

"I gave them up to save Wally, Joe's son. Zoom had him, so it was either give him my speed, or… I couldn't let Wally die."

"No. You couldn't," Henry said, shaking his head. Though he felt sad for his son's loss, he was proud of the man that he had become.

"Now Jay has taken Caitlin, and we have no idea how to save her," Barry said.

"Jay took Caitlin?"

"Jay… it's yeah. Turns out Jay Garrick is not the Flash from Earth-2. He's Zoom."

Henry blinked, trying to absorb all the new information. It had only been a few weeks since he had the chance to communicate with his son and so much had happened. He felt guilty for not being there for him. But then there was that name, that name that sounded oh so familiar. "Garrick?"

"Garrick, yeah. Why?"

"My mom's maiden name."

"Maybe… maybe Wells is right. Maybe I should try to get my powers back."

"How would you do that?"

"By recreating the particle accelerator explosion."

"And get struck by lightning again? That doesn't seem like the safest option, does it?" Henry asked.

"No," Barry said looking down at his hands that were folded in his lap. "Sophia doesn't think so either, we had an argument about it and now she's not talking to me."

"Just give her some time to cool off. She loves you, Barry. She's probably worried that by doing this, you're going to get hurt," Henry said, rubbing soothing circles on his son's back.

"Yeah," Barry sighed, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands.

"I've watched you grow ever since you became The Flash, and I am so proud of that man. But ask yourself, do you really need powers in order to be that person?"

"It just feels like every time something good happens in my life, it's taken away," Barry whispered desperate for a solution to his problems.

"Well, maybe it's time we did something about that."

* * *

A new day had dawned, and it had seemingly dragged along all the shitty feelings from the previous week along with it.

Sophia had lost a patient at work, spending hours in the room with doctors, nurses and specialists alike trying to save this young life, but no matter how hard they tried, the universe had stolen the victory from their fingers no matter how hard they grasped onto life, trying to save the young child.

She felt numb as she came home that night, flickering the lights on in her empty apartment with what little energy she had left. She hadn't spoken to Barry after their argument and had gone to work with the hopes of escaping all the negativity and worry, only to receive the opposite in return.

She didn't even make it to her bedroom before she collapsed on the floor of her living room, bawling her eyes out. She usually saved this routine after she lost a patient for the shower floor, her tears mixing in with the water, but she was just too exhausted to even care. She didn't know how long she had been laying on the floor, her tears had now dried, but she could feel that her eyes were red from crying and her face, wet with the remnants of her tears.

"Sophia, what happened?" A voice asked her, panic traced throughout it. She didn't have the energy to look up and was glad that whoever it belonged to had come closer, picking her up and bringing her towards the couch, placing her down on the sofa cushions. Her eyes glanced up to see that it was Barry, and that made her even more upset, because it brought up the memory of their argument the day before.

Barry looked at her, brushing a piece of hair behind her cheek. She looked distraught, and she was still dressed in her scrubs from work so he assumed something happened there.

Sophia let out a shaky breath as she sat up further on the couch, kicking off her shoes before wrapping her arms around herself, burying her face into her knees.

"Soph." Barry's soft voice coaxed her out of her huddled position and when he sat down next to her, she curled up into him, burying her face in his chest.

"I lost a patient today… just a little kid... didn't deserve to die… I don't want to lose you either…" Was all he understood from her mumbled words into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her rubbing her back soothingly. He pressed a firm kiss to her forehead, and then one against her temple and her cheek, the touch calming her down a little.

"I'm so sorry, Soph." He rested his head atop her own, unsure of what to say. "It'll be okay. We'll get through this. It's all gonna be okay."

* * *

"You look like shit," Cisco blurted out as Sophia walked into the cortex, dark circles under her eyes, her body practically engulfed in an oversized hoodie of Barry's that looked like it had been from his college days. Her feet were snug in warm socks and house slippers, her pyjama pants still on. She had been way too exhausted to even bother changing that morning, and since she flew over, she figured she could just change at Star Labs should she need to. She wasn't in the mood for anything else.

"Thanks, looks like we're twinning today, huh?" She commented with a dry laugh as her eyes ran over her friend who was too dressed in the daggiest clothes he owned, sipping on a milkshake from Big Belly Burger.

"Haven't been able to sleep lately," Cisco said.

"Looks like that's both of us," Sophia replied. "What's been on your mind?"

Cisco then went into detail about how he had been having these weird feelings lately, similar to his vibes. He had been seeing images of his brother lately and it was disconcerting. He hadn't spoken to Dante in a while, and seeing his face whenever he closed his eyes was terrifying, not because it was his brother, but because it seemed as though it was a villain with his brother's face.

"Think it's something real or perhaps just your imagination getting the better of you?" Sophia asked, plopping down in a seat next to him, stealing is drink and taking a long sip.

"I don't know, it could be anything, but the last time I had a feeling like this, Zoom had come back."

"That doesn't make me feel easy."

"Or maybe it's the milkshake, you are lactose intolerant right?" Cisco asked.

"Shit, yeah," Sophia laughed. "It's alright. I'll probably have some cramps later, ugh."

"So you and Barry sort everything out?" Cisco asked curiously. He didn't like to watch his friends fight, especially Sophia and Barry who always seemed to be so put together.

"If by sort things out, you mean, I cried like a baby into his chest whilst clinging onto him like a prayer last night, then yes, we have sorted things out," Sophia said, letting out a sigh and rubbing her eyes. It had been a long night last night, and she had been lucky enough to fall asleep after her crying had exhausted her.

" _Ouch_ , that sounds intense."

"Yeah. I just- if there's the slightest chance it could kill him, I don't want him to do it," Sophia said. "We can find another way. _I can't lose him_ , Cisco." She felt like she was going to cry again so she looked away from her friends gaze, trying to focus on something else to keep her tears at bay.

"I know, Soph."

Sophia was ready to call it a day, not feeling like doing anything at all but perhaps vegetate on her couch and watch old-reruns of power rangers. Just as she was going to pose this idea to Cisco, a personalised panic button had been set off. Sophia's eyes darted to the screen, showing that it was Joe sending out an S.O.S from the CCPD.

"Duty calls."

* * *

"Your sister called, checking in when we'd be home," Joe mentioned to Wally as they walked towards his desk at work.

"As in, we need to get going?" Wally laughed.

"You know your sister," Joe said with the shake of his head, a smile on his lips. He placed the police report he had just finished filing into his top drawer, leaving a sticky note on his desk to remind him to get it placed into storage later. He turned back around to see Wally waiting for him and with the jerk of his head, motioned for them to get moving. "Okay, move it. Let's go."

"Do you ever get sick of this job?" Wally asked as they walked out of the office area of the precinct that was still bubbling over with work.

"Being a cop?" Joe shook his head, catching Wally's eye, and he saw a look in his son's eyes that he knew all too well. He had seen that look in Iris and Barry's eyes before, but not only them, he too had that same look as a young man. "Oh, looks like someone inherited the West I-need-to-help-people gene."

"Ever since The Flash and Sapphire saved me, I just…" Wally trailed off. "I don't know if designing cars is what I'm meant to do with my life."

"Well, I'm sure there's something out there that'll satisfy your need for speed and helping people, but until then, you should stick with engineering. It's much safer," Joe laughed. "We should get going before Singh comes up with something for me to do."

Wally nodded, humming in agreement as he pressed the button for the lift. He buried his hands into the pocket of his jeans and turned his head to look at his father, and just then in the corner of his eyes did he see the spark of blue lightning that haunted his dreams.

He went to yell out about the dark villain who had materialised out of nowhere and the red headed scientist who was cowering by his side up on the balcony at the CCPD, but it seemed Joe and the rest of the cops had already watched the scene unfold.

Wally was numb as he watched Joe pull his gun out of his holster, pointing it at the black speedster.

"Zoom!" Joe yelled with wide eyes.

"Hello, old friend," Zoom greeted tauntingly, tilting his head in acknowledgement at Wally who was standing behind Joe.

"Stay away from him!" Joe warned. "Do not move."

"Or what?" Zoom cackled. "You've tried your guns on my once before."

"No! Don't hurt them. Let them go, please," Caitlin pleaded to Zoom who had just run down the stairs, knocking the guns out of the hands of all the cops, punching and hitting some of them til they were left sprawled across the ground like ants, ready to be squished by his boot.

Zoom was now back by her side atop the balcony, his voice booming.

"Tell everyone that this city is mine. Anyone who disobeys me will meet their end."

"All right. Clear out!" Singh ordered, and Zoom watched on in wonder as the people cowered, evacuating the building.

Wally blinked, and Zoom was gone along with Caitlin. Amidst the chaos Wally had barely realised that Sapphire had arrived, and was talking with Joe.

"Zoom, he was here. He had Caitlin with him," Joe told Sophia in a hushed voice. Wally watched as the heroin took a step back with wide eyes, giving him a curt nod before whispering something in reply, and then she was flying out of the room, leaving Wally unsure of what had just happened, and fearful for the future.

* * *

"He's got Caitlin, she's here with him," Sophia informed the others. As soon as she was sure that Wally and Joe were safe, she called an emergency meeting at Star Labs.

"Why would he bring her here?"

"To show power," Harry answered. "That's exactly what he did on my Earth."

"What are you talking about?"

"The first thing he did was murder people. Slaughtered a bunch of policemen. Then recruited every meta-human he could find. And those that disobeyed, he killed too."

"Where are the police now?" Barry asked.

"Outside the precinct."

"He'll kill them, Joe. He'll kill them all," Harry warned them.

"Not with Caitlin with him," Joe said. "She talked him out of killing everyone when he took over the CCPD."

"That's what we're gonna rely on? Snow talking him out of it?"

"Joe, you need to get those guys out of there," Sophia said. "Is there somewhere else they can set up?"

"What if they set up at Jitters?" Barry suggested.

"That's a good idea… it's just a block away from the precinct," Joe said. "I'm gonna go get word to Singh, get him to set up a task force at Jitters." Joe left the room in a hurry, his phone already out and dialling the Captain.

"And then what? What happens next?" Cisco asked.

"You saw what Zoom did on my Earth. He will do the exact same thing here." Harry's words were in no way reassuring the tension was high in the room.

"Then I guess it's time for me to suit up and take him out once and for all," Sophia announced standing up.

"You can't do this alone," Barry protested, his body going on high alert. There was no way he could let her face Zoom on her own. It had happened once before already and he was so thankful she had returned to him in one piece. But Barry had seen first-hand what Zoom could do, he wasn't going to risk it.

"I don't really have another option right now, Barry." Sophia ran a hand through her curls nervously, hoping her action would hide the tremor that was in her right hand. She knew that she was more than capable of fighting Zoom, but the thought of facing him still scared her. He was by all means faster than her, but she had to remind herself that she was strong, and the fact that she had dominated their last encounter.

"We need to get your powers back," Harry said to Barry.

"It's too risky," Sophia huffed. She felt like she was a record stuck on repeat.

"And then what?" Barry asked, ignoring Sophia's protest. "What happens next?"

"I don't know yet, but I'm gonna make sure Wally and Jesse are safe," Harry said as he left the room.

* * *

Nightfall grew closer and the panic was beginning to settle in. The CCPD had been dead silent, so much so that one would be able to hear a pin drop. Caitlin had been seated on the couch, knees drawn up to her chest for the last two hours. Her stomach was aching for food, and her throat desperate for some water, and though Zoom had offered, she had denied. She didn't want to speak to him, to associate with him in any other way than she had already.

But then, someone had come by to the lab, someone dressed in dark clothes, the leather squeaking as they moved. She had overheard dangerous words and she began to fear for the safety of not only her friends, but the rest of this city. Zoom had put a target on Central City, and Caitlin feared that should chaos break out on the streets, it would be hard to come back from it. She had seen on television how devastating Starling City had become after their attacks, and she hoped that her team was coming up with a plan to stop Zoom, and fast.

"You know they're gonna figure out a way to stop you, right?" Caitlin asked as she watched Hunter pace the floor of Barry's lab at the CCPD where they were currently hiding out in. She hadn't spoken a word since her plea that afternoon for him to spare the lives of the police offers downstairs, surprised that he had even listened to her in the first place.

"Who? Barry? Wells? The police?" Hunter asked with a scoff. "No," He shook his head. "The only one who has come even close enough was Sophia, and that's saying something since I took down her Earth 2 counterpart so easily."

"It was far from easy from what I heard," Caitlin muttered under her breath, but evidently Zoom had heard her.

"And pray tell, what exactly did you hear?" Hunter asked, taking a menacing step towards her. When he watched the fear in her eyes grow and how her feet stumbled behind her, he realised that he had come on too strong. He rolled his eyes with an indignant huff, taking a step back to give her some space. He wanted Caitlin to love him, not fear him. He needed to remind himself to be more careful around her.

"I heard she put up the fight of her life. I heard that she took away some of your speed. She made you weak, and she was very close to killing you. And if I know Sophia, I know that she's head strong and stubborn and I know that she will do anything to protect those that she loves. Barry may not have his powers, and my team might not know what to do. But Sophia, _I know her_. She'll find a way," Caitlin declared proudly. Her words that were aimed as a weapon towards Zoom had also put her at some ease, giving her hope that Sophia would save the day.

"I admire the faith you have in your friends. But I also pity you for your obvious delusion. No one can stop me. _Nobody._ "

"So what's your plan? You're just gonna kill everyone?"

"No, not everyone."

"Then why are you keeping me here?"

"Cause I don't want to be alone anymore, I want to be with you," Hunter said in a softer tone that sounded almost human like.

"I am never going to be with you."

"You think that you're not like me, but I've seen the darkness inside of you, Caitlin. Just like it was inside Killer Frost," Hunter said, leaning down so he was looking her directly in the eyes. "All you have to do… is unlock it."

* * *

Cisco had up and left the cortex whilst the debating went on, saying he was going to catch his brother quickly and make sure he was safe.

Harry had left the room in a hurry to do the same for Jesse, and that left herself with Barry.

"Are you seriously thinking about doing this?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes. I need to. I have to."

"You don't have to. I am here too. With your help and the team, we can stop him. This doesn't mean that you can't help, if that's what this is about?"

"It's not about that. It's about you fighting him out there, on your own. If he's just a millisecond too fast he could kill you, he will kill you. I can't lose you. I lost you once before last year, and it broke me. I couldn't breathe. I-I can't go through that again."

"Bar…"

"Sophia, I can't. I have to do something, I can't just sit here and do nothing. That isn't me, you know that."

"I know, honey, I know." She bit her lip. "But did you ever think about what it would do to me if I lost you? How I would feel? Did you ever think that I can't lose you either, that you're everything I have." She was on the brink of tears again and that made her furious. She blinked away her tears, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I know it's stressful. But if you do this and it doesn't work, you're dead. I can't deal with a future without you in it."

"It won't go sideways. I trust Wells. It'll work."

Unbeknownst to them, Joe and Henry were having this very same discussion at the West household.

"Look, let's just wait until Harry gets back and see what happens." Barry moved closer to her, bringing her into his arms. Sophia wrapped her arms around him, holding onto him for dear life.

* * *

Cisco was just leaving the bar with his brother after having a little chat that was displeasing at most when a Meta appeared through a breach down the middle of the dark street they were standing on.

"Shit," Cisco cursed under his breath. He pressed down on the breaks of the Star Labs van, and Dante braced for impact as a blast of glowing red energy hit the front of the van, sending the vehicle reeling backwards.

Dante and Cisco jumped out of the van, slightly disoriented from the hit.

"You okay?" Dante asked his brother who nodded.

"Hello, _Vibe,_ " A gruff voice spoke, the man's face still hidden by his hood.

"Simmer down, Reaper. We got no beef with you," Cisco said, coughing from the fumes coming from the burnt van.

"Maybe not, but I've got beef with you, Vibe."

"Why does he keep calling you that?" Dante asked.

"I don't know," Cisco replied.

"You killed my brother, so, now, you die."

"Oh my god. You're "Princess Bride"-ing me right now! You must have me mixed up with somebody else, Inigo."

"I don't think so. My brother was Reverb. Remember now?" He taunted, pushing off the hood that once concealed his identity, only to reveal Dante Ramon standing before them.

 _Holy shit._

"Move!" Cisco yelled, pushing Dante out of the way of a blast that was headed their way. "Get in the van!"

"He looks like…"

"Now!"

"I knew there was something wrong!" Dante yelled as he buckled up back in the van, holding onto the arm rest as the van reeled forward from the speed that Cisco was pushing the engine at. "Every time I see you, we get attacked by lunatics with crazy weapons!"

"No, he's not!" Cisco brought his right hand down, changing gears with lighting speed and pulling the car into reverse. His foot slammed down on the accelerator and the van went zooming backwards, crashing into the reaper as he called him, knocking him down. Once Cisco was sure that their adversary was knocked out he changed into drive and stepped on it.

"Go! Go!" Dante urged.

The tires screeched as Cisco sped away, his eyes glancing nervously into his rear view mirror, unsure of what was to happen next. But he knew that he couldn't lie to his brother any longer. He would probably have to tell him some version of the truth, especially now that he had seen a man with powers, with his own face.

* * *

"You want to tell me exactly what you've gotten us into this time?" Sophia asked as Cisco came tumbling back into the cortex.

"He calls himself Rupture. Another meta-human under Zoom's control from my Earth," Harry said.

"Great, so he's bringing more of his friends over," Barry groaned.

"That's what I told you he would do," Harry berated.

"Okay, well, Zoom must've lied to fake-Dante and told him I was the one who killed Reverb, cause dude wants me dead. We got to do something," Cisco said.

"Leave it to me, the rest of you figure out how we're going to get Barry's powers back. _Without killing him,"_ Sophia said, putting emphasis on her last few words. "What else do we know about him?"

"He gets his powers from that scythe he wields. Thing's legit too… it almost took half the van with him."

"Right, so if that gives him his power all we need to do is take it away and voila, it'll be an easy take down," Sophia said.

" _Right_. I'll be in my lab working on it," Harry said, leaving the room.

"I just have to figure out a way to not tell Dante why this psychopath looks exactly like him." Cisco said, typing away on his tablet as he left the room.

"I saw your dad earlier," Sophia said looking over at Barry. She had spoken with Henry in depth about it all, and found that he held just as much fear as she did about the whole situation. "He doesn't want you to do it either."

"I know. I thought having him here would make it easier, but it's just made it harder."

"Look, Barry, I know that I want you to stay here where it's safe, and to let me do all the work, but I know that won't happen. So if you're going to do this, then I'll be there to help, to support you, you just have to come back, come back home, come back to me."

" _I will_. I promise, that's all I want."

"We can do this. We'll get your speed back, we'll save Caitlin and stop Zoom. And then, _then_ , we can finally rest," Sophia exhaled with a breathy laugh.

"We can go travelling, how about that?" Barry asked, softly brushing a curl out of her eyes, admiring the soft smile on her face. Her cheeks were rosy and flushed from flying around earlier and the colour suited her more than red suited The Flash.

"Mmm, I speak French, but I've never been to Paris."

"Paris sounds good."

"The city of love," Sophia said.

"With you, wherever we are is the city of love," He said, and when she laughed his heart soared with love. He leaned forward capturing her lips in a chaste kiss, his nose nudging hers as he moved in for another one, leaving her breathless as his lips glided over hers in an electric kiss.

"Talk about cheesy," Sophia said as he pulled away.

"But you love it."

" _I love you_."

* * *

"Something's blinking over here," An intern called out, gathering the attention of Joe in the crowded coffee shop.

Joe stumbled over to investigate, sending the intern to alert Captain Singh of the new information. Joe pulled out his phone and dialled Barry's number, hoping that he hadn't done anything stupid in the time that he had left him alone at Star Labs.

Barry picked up in a seconds notice and Joe quickly explained that a signal was coming through.

"It's coming from the CCPD," Joe said, brows furrowed in confusion. They didn't have any of their staff left in the CCPD, so he wasn't sure how it was a possibility, unless Zoom had sent the signal out.

"It's Caitlin," Barry breathed, a sigh of relief and a smile quirking on his lips. "I've got it covered."

Barry was quick in relaying the information to the team. Well as quick as he could be with having to drive down to Star Labs, but he needed to get there to be able to decipher and track the code.

"What about Caitlin?" Harry asked.

"She sent us a message," Barry said, nudging Cisco to the side so he could access it via the computers. "Rupture is gonna attack Jitters tonight."

"We got to move, Barry," Harry said, referring to giving Barry his powers back.

Barry paused, looking at Harry with a blank expression. He had thought it over, he had taken the advice from those around him to heart and he knew that he had to make a choice.

"What are you gonna do, slugger?" Henry asked.

"Look, having The Flash and Sapphire working together is the best way to stop Zoom and all the meta's he's sending over. But, until we know for sure that setting off the accelerator will work, it's too risky. Not just for me, for the entire city." Barry knew it wasn't just his life at risk, if they created more Meta's things would only get worse, and when he glanced over at Sophia he could see the relief settle into her skin immediately and it made him feel better that she wasn't worrying about it anymore.

Sophia exhaled, letting out a breath she hadn't know she had been holding. She had prepared herself for the worst, but her nerves were saved when he said that he wasn't going to do it.

"Yes, but Allen…" Harry protested.

"Stop, Wells. Look, I'm sorry. I've made up my mind," Barry said. "We're just gonna have to figure out how we can best support Sapphire out there tonight."

"It's alright, I got this. You guys are my eyes and ears. We can do it," Sophia said. "It's just Rupture we're facing tonight, not Zoom."

* * *

Night had fallen across Central City, the sun replaced by the moon hanging in the sky. The Sapphire Knight flew across her city, eyes focused and calculating. Cisco had given her a good enough description of Rupture, making it clear that he looked something like the Grim Reaper. She had devised plan in her head already. Her flight would be an advantage against him, all she needed to do was get the scythe away from him and he would be defenceless.

Joe alerted her and the team that the officers down at Jitters were ready and prepared for a fight, letting her know that it was time to come down.

Slowly she made her decent, landing firmly on the ground, not wavering in the face of adversary. Sophia stepped into Jitters, and all the chatter fell, leaving silence behind.

"No matter what happens tonight, do not lose faith. We're going to stop this meta-human and then we're going to stop Zoom. I promise each and every one of you that."

"Thank you," A small voice in the back whispered, a young cop by the looks of it. Sapphire gave her a warm smile of encouragement and then turned on her foot, leaving the room, closing the door behind her with the click of a lock.

Sapphire turned around, pulling out the sword that was strapped on her back. The metal glinted in the moonlight, standing out like a beacon of light as she stood there with it drawn in front of her in a defensive position. Sophia didn't have to wait long in the middle of the road for Rupture, something she was glad off. Her eyes were ablaze with colour, watching carefully as he strutted down the street and towards Jitters, his scythe daringly stomping on the ground as he walked over.

Rupture stopped in the middle of the road, close enough for her to hear his words, but far away enough that he would be able to defend himself should he need to.

"The Sapphire Knight? Not who I was expecting, but you'll be a nice warm up," Rupture said, flicking the dark hood of his cape off, and bringing down his scythe with a vengeful blow, a brilliant red erupting from the tip and firing out toward Sapphire.

In one swift movement, Sophia brought her sword up and in front of her protectively, bright blue energy coursing through the metal, creating a barrier. The red blast from Rupture's scythe ignited in a brilliant show of colours when it collided with her sword, erupting in all directions away from Sophia. She brought down her sword when the energy had dissipated, grinning at Rupture's shock. He had clearly not been expecting that of her. She hated sexist pigs.

"I think you might want to re-evaluate your plans for the evening, Rupture. Because it looks like you're going to be having a difficult one."

With a roar of anger, Rupture ran forward, feet pounding on the pavement as he charged towards her, scythe out and ready to swipe at her. Sophia was quicker, flying up above him and out of the way, landing directly behind him. She took his moment of disorientation to direct a blast at his back, the energy flowing out of her hand.

He tumbled to the ground with a grunt, his back scorching from the hit. He braced his hands out in front of him, catching his fall as best as he could, pushing himself back up, turning around and throwing another blast towards her with his scythe.

She twisted her body to the side, angling it just enough to avoid the hit, but the edge of her cape was singed where he had just caught it.

"I'm tired of this," Sapphire growled. Not only was she tired of Rupture, she was tired of this fight, and it made her angry that it had dragged on for so long, that her life had become the war-torn ground upon which Zoom's battles were played.

Eyes glowing bright, and her body ready for a fight, she focused her energy, her eyes burning with heat, shooting out heat vision at his scythe. The metal hook of the scythe began to melt under the heat, travelling throughout the handle and burning Rupture's hand. He cried out in pain, dropping the scythe, the distraction giving her enough time to rush forward in flight, her fist out in front of her, energy surrounding it, and exploding as her closed fist pummelled into Rupture's abdomen, sending his body flying backwards into the street.

Sophia landed on the ground panting, her eyes darting around for any movement, but Rupture was knocked out cold.

The door of Jitter's opened, and the officers of the CCPD slowly crept out, cheering with relief when they saw that Sapphire had defeated the Meta.

"Cisco, we got him!"

* * *

"Breaking news coming out of Jitter's coffee shop. CCPN has learned that a meta-human was just apprehended after an altercation with Central City's Sapphire Knight."

Zoom slammed his fist into the screen of the TV, the glass shattering, and plugs sparking from the damage. He was seething with anger. He turned around, stomping towards Caitlin, fury written all across his face.

"You told them Rupture was coming. How? HOW!?"

Caitlin was silent, cringing as his voice boomed, echoing throughout the lab. He then noticed the light beeping from a machine on the desk. Caitlin had re-routed one of their old radios at the CCPD to send out a signal using Morse-code.

"Oh, you… are smart, aren't you? You betrayed me!"

"You said you would spare them," Caitlin said in a small voice.

"I guess… now we're even," Zoom accused in a dark voice, slipping on the hood of his black suit, the speedster's eyes swallowed by darkness.

"Jay, no!" Caitlin pleaded, even reaching out to him if it would get him to stop but it hadn't been enough. He was gone in the blink of an eye.

"My name, is Zoom."

No one knew what had hit them next.

Sapphire had been swept of her feet, literally, landing on her back, her head cracking against the pavement, knocking her out cold. Zoom then rushed into Jitters, attacking each and every one of the police officers there, sparing only Joe and Barry who were hiding towards the back of the room.

He snapped the necks of each and every one of those officers, their bodies falling to the floor of the coffee shop like dominos.

Barry and Joe were shocked when time seemed to start again, bodies dropping around them like flies. Barry cried out in disdain and Zoom took a threatening step towards him. It was in that moment that Barry realised he had been foolish to think that this monster would be stopped without him having his speed. Without The Flash there would be no one fast enough to stop him, no matter how strong or motivated. This wasn't a game of strength or power any longer, it was a game of speed, and they were losing the race.

"No!" Joe yelled, whipping out his gun to fire away at Zoom regardless of whether it would do anything, only to have his weapon snatched from his fingertips and thrown across the room.

"You are only alive because of Caitlin. Try something like this again, and my affection for her won't stop me from killing you, Sophia or the rest of this city!"

Zoom disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving Joe and Barry behind to deal with the aftermath of the cruel world that they had been thrust into.

"Sophia," Barry breathed out in worry. He ran out the front doors, his head turning left and right, eyes darting around to find her. It was then that he saw a body laying further up on the road. He didn't waste a second in bolting down the road, running as fast as he could without his speed. He skidded across the ground, kneeling down next to her body.

"Sophia!" He called out her name, bringing one hand to cradle her head, the other with his hand on her neck to find a pulse. "No, no, you can't leave me," He gasped for air When he couldn't, he grabbed her wrist, pressing his fingers hard against her skin, praying to find something. When he felt the thump of blood flowing through her veins, he sagged in relief against her body. He picked her up in his arms, and took her to his car, carefully placing her in the passenger seat, brushing some hair out of her face and then placing a kiss on her forehead. He was still shaking from what had happened, thankful that she had been alright.

She had been knocked out, but she wasn't bleeding and he hoped that she would wake up soon. In the car ride over he called Cisco fill him in, whilst Joe dealt with his entire squadron that had been slaughtered by Zoom.

* * *

Bleary-eyed and lethargic beyond measure, Sophia used Barry for support as she walked out of the med-bay and into the cortex where everyone was gathered. Joe looked distressed the most in particular, and Iris was doing her best to comfort him.

"So what's next?" Cisco asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Next, he'll recruit every meta-human he can find, and then force them to do what he wants," Harry said, glowering.

"How many could be left? We defeated most of them, didn't we?" Barry asked.

"No. You're not even close. This… is a list of meta-humans from my Earth. Ones that are known, anyway. The particle accelerator explosion was contained on my Earth."

"That didn't happen here," Sophia said, rubbing her temple.

"Then why wouldn't we know about the other meta-humans here?"

"Because of The Flash…. And now that everyone knows that he's not around… they know that Sapphire is vulnerable. Her partner is incapacitated. They'll start coming out of the woodwork," Harry said, pacing the room.

"We don't know that," Iris chipped in.

"What more do you need? I told you he'd recruit meta-humans. We've seen him do that. I told you he would kill officers. We saw him do that too. What more do you need?"

"Let's do it. I want to do it."

"What?" Sophia asked, turning her head to look at him with an almost lightning speed.

"One of the cops that Zoom killed tonight, he had a son. Same age I was when mom was murdered," Barry explained. "And now, another kid has to grow up without one of their parents because The Flash wasn't there to stop that monster. I let this happen. I need to get my powers back."

The room was tense as Harry and Cisco worked on setting up the machine that they would be using to replicate the explosion exactly how it had been carried out before, and how it affected Barry. Sophia could only sit there, her legs bouncing up off the ground nervously, and Barry was on the other side of the room, conversing with his father.

"So how does this work?" Joe asked Harry, unsure of all of the specifics. All he knew was that they were building out of the machine that they had used to stabilise the breach when it had been opened in the basement of Star Labs.

"It's an abbreviated version of the accelerator evil Wells built, except Harry is isolating the antimatter and dark energy to direct it to Barry instead of the entire city."

"Good. Last thing we need is more meta-humans running around Central City."

"So… Barry just gets in, we turn it on, and that's it?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"No. Not exactly. In addition to recreating what happened with the particle accelerator explosion, we also have to recreate what happened to Barry," Harry said.

"Getting struck by lightning," Sophia said under her breath, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach.

"That's right."

"Wait, so how are you gonna do that? It's not even raining outside."

"Well, Ramon, you have the wand," Harry reminded him.

"The one I made for Mark Mardon?" Cisco asked.

"No, the one you built for the Harry Potter convention," Wells scoffed. "Yes, of course, the one you built for Mardon."

"How do you know about the Harry Potter convention?" Cisco asked timidly.

"Because you and Sophia were talking about it like children getting candy for the first time," Harry drawled. "Now, get the wand and get on the roof," He ordered.

"Why the roof?"

Sophia rolled her eyes. She could see where this was going, and all the questions were not doing much to quell her anxieties.

"Because we're gonna need a lightning rod, and that, Ramon, is gonna be you."

* * *

Cisco found himself climbing the stairs til he reached the door that led to the rooftop of Star Labs. He couldn't believe that he had never been up there before in all his time working here. He assumed it was for the fact that there wasn't a lift, and only a mountain of stairs, something he wasn't all that eager to trek upon.

He unlocked the door, pushing the latch open and pulling the handle back, blinking his eyes as a great breeze came rushing through the doorway. Step by step he made it up, until he was standing in the middle of the rooftop, the vivid view of Central City before his eyes. The whole city was a lit with bright lights, from tall glass buildings, and the streets down below. It was a warm yellow, the sun having just set, the sky fading into a darker hue of blue as time went on.

"All right, I'm on the roof. Wow. I've never actually been up here before. I think I can see my apartment from here," Cisco mused.

"It really is beautiful. Barry and I go up there all the time," Sophia said through the comm. She was now downstairs in the basement of Star Labs with Barry and the rest of the team. Harry was gathering up a bunch of electrical wires that were at least a few metres long, dumping them on the floor in front of the chair that Barry would be sitting in when the procedure was underway.

"Enough chatter," Harry berated. "We have work to do. Head straight to the satellite, Ramon. When I give you the signal, you're gonna create a lightning storm above you."

"So, I'm just supposed to stand here, in the middle of a lightning storm?" Cisco asked with snark.

"Really, Ramon. Chances of being struck are slim, indeed."

"Yeah, not when you're the one causing it."

"All we need is one lightning bolt to strike the satellite. The satellite circuitry's connected to the breach room. Barry's in the breach room. Just do it."

"Yeah. I'm doing it. Mozart better watch out. Cisco Ramon's about to conduct something nasty," Cisco called out, causing Sophia to smile a little. But then she saw Barry moving to sit down in the chair across the room, and all that fear and anxiety came reeling back in.

She bit her lip, and took a step towards him, watching as Harry put down some clamps on his arms and legs. She wasn't sure if it was to stop him from thrashing or if it was to inject the chemicals in that would factor into giving Barry his speed back.

"You're gonna feel these clamps, but they're necessary."

Barry nodded, glad for the forewarning, but still the pain was there as it pinched his skin.

"You good?" Joe asked.

"Yeah, you?" Barry nodded, giving them his bravest smile. He was the one who wanted to do this, he knew that he needed to do this, but it still scared the living daylights out of him.

"It's gonna work, guys," Barry said, trying to quell their fears, but he could see that his words were not reassuring in anyway.

Sophia took a step towards him, placing one hand on his cheek. He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes for a moment, and her heart almost broke. "Are you sure, Barry?"

"Yes. I'll be fine."

"Promise?" Sophia asked, eyes filled with fear.

"Yeah, promise."

She leaned forward, angling his face towards her and pressed her lips to his. It was an agonisingly slow, and heart-aching kiss, as neither of them knew if it would be their last. Sophia pulled away, tears in her eyes and she noticed that he too was sharing the same look in his eye. She pressed one last kiss to his cheek, whispering a soft declaration of love in his ear before pulling away, otherwise, she would never let go.

"Son, you don't have to do this," Henry said.

"Being The Flash… that's the best version of me. If I don't have my speed, I'll never be that person anymore. I have to do this," Barry said with determination.

"Okay. You ready, Allen?" Harry asked, receiving a nod in confirmation.

"All right then, here we go."

"Do you feel that?"

"Yeah, what's happening?" Barry asked. It felt weird, like he was on edge, almost like he was floating.

A loud crash and sequence of beeping noises erupted from the computers. The lights above the chamber Barry was in went out, the back-up generators coming back on, an orange light now above his head. Barry was thrashing in pain, screams escaping his throat as the procedure dragged on.

There was a hard lump in Sophia's throat, and she held onto Iris's hand for support as they practically watched Barry being torn apart.

"Particles are becoming unstable. Ramon, get ready! I'm gonna release the chemicals into his system," Harry yelled through the comm.

"Hold on, Barry," Joe called out.

" _God_! He's going hydrostatic," Henry exclaimed, looking to Harry in desperation for him to stop.

"Almost there… almost there," Harry said under his breath, waiting for the exact moment.

"Wells!" Cisco yelled.

"Almost there!"

Barry was in pure agony by this point, his eyes clenched shut in an attempt to survive through the pain.

"Ready, Ramon?"

"Now!"

" _Expecto Patronum_!" Cisco shouted into the night, thrusting the wand into the sky. The storm above him boomed with thunder, the white lightning crackling down violently, through the wand and then down into the basement of Star Labs. "Great Scott! It's working!"

" _No_!" Sophia cried out, watching the computer, showing that Barry no longer had a heartbeat. When her eyes glanced up at him, she could see what was left of his face was pale, but before she could say anything more, Harry had called out.

"Initiating collision."

Abruptly, there was a burst of bright light that blinded them all for a moment, most bringing their arms up to shield their eyes. When they brought them back down, Sophia ran over to the chamber to see if Barry was alright.

" _Barry_!"

"It worked! Is everyone okay?" Harry asked, getting up off the floor from where he had been knocked down.

"What happened?" Joe asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Where's Barry? What happened?!" Sophia called out, seeing that the chair was empty. He was gone…

"No! No! What did you do to my son?"

Everyone stood there frozen, watching the empty space that Barry had once been sitting in.

"He's n-not there, he's… _gone_ ," Sophia whispered, voice cracking. She stumbled backwards, her brain unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"Henry, I-," Harry began, but he was cut off by the distressed voice of a grieving father.

"You thought you could give The Flash his speed back?! Well done. You killed him instead!" Henry stormed out of the room, leaving everyone behind to deal with the aftermath.

Sophia wasn't exactly sure what happened next, only that she remembered collapsing to the floor, Iris coming to her rescue and helping her up to a seat. She felt numb, and dead inside, because Barry was gone. He had promised that he would be fine, that everything would work out in the end, but he was dead, and she felt like she was underwater, drowning with no way out other than down.

* * *

 **A / N –** The ending of this chapter was so sad, but it had to happen. Now that I think about it, the ending for the next few chapters are all pretty devo, but we've hit that point in the season.

Thank you for all the new followers/reviewers you always make my day!

 **Replies** :

Guest 1: Thank you so much, I am so glad that you liked it! I'm doing my best to get you guys quality content.

RHatch89: I'm so glad! Here she is again with more action, and just you wait for chapter 23 there's so much it's amazing.

rebelforcauses: THANK YOU. YOU ARE CUTE TOO. I love my little babies.

Riana Chere: I am so glad, and yes it it's so fun to see her take on a more solo role rather than teaming up with Barry like she does most of the time.

Reyna Ramirez: I am so glad that you enjoyed it! I wasn't sure how it would come out but it's good it's been positive.

Guest 2: Thank you so much! Yeah hopefully you guys get the notification for this chapter, ff net has been having a lot of trouble lately.

gossamermouse101: I know i felt really bad for griffin too! I think somewhere in the show towards the end it was sort of lost that this guy was actually just a young kid who was scared, he just wanted to be normal again and not die... so i tried to get that across in the chapter.

Natalie: Thank you for your suggestion! That would be fun for the musical crossover! It's so far away but I'm excited to write it... hopefully next season I can incorporate Kara into my story as well a little bit, at least get an introduction in or something. Thank you for your reviews!

Til next time.

\- Heroherondale. x


	22. Lost Without You

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

"Barry, he's gone…"

More sparks fired from the electrical wires, and then yelling ensued. It had only been Iris and Sophia left in the room, and they had been shocked to hear cries for help.

"Sophia, quick! It's Jesse and Wally!" Cisco called out as he skidded into the room.

It took everything in her not to break down in that moment, and with the help of Iris she stood up, following Cisco where they guided her to the med-bay where Jesse was lying in a bed. Wally was up and about, insisting that he was fine and that it was Jesse they should look out for. The both of them had been hit by the energy that escaped when the particle accelerator exploded, but Jesse had yet to wake up. Sophia's eyes darted to the young unconscious girl and her hands moved on auto-pilot.

Sophia used this as a distraction, quickly hooking her up to the vital signs monitor, checking that her heart was still beating, and she wasn't crashing. When she was content with that, she saw Henry enter the room, and the two of them worked together to get Jesse back on track. They set up an IV line, cannulating her and hooking her up with IV fluids and some dextrose to get her blood sugar back up as well. Warm blankets were also put onto of her, bringing her temperature back up to an agreeable level, the colour slowly returning to her lips. There was nothing more they could do for Jesse but wait.

Without uttering a word, or an expression of emotion betraying her face, Sophia floated out of the room, her body moving back to the basement where Barry had been taken from her. She tugged at the soiled gloves that were on her hand, throwing the material into the bin on the side before she collapsed in front of the chair where he had once been sitting and reality crashed down on her like a riptide, the wave sending her under and unable to breathe.

Her chest was rising and falling so fast that she began to hyperventilate, tears blinded her vision and her hands were braced out in front of her on the floor as she practically heaved. _He was gone._

"Barry," She cried, banging her fists on the floor. " _Come back!_ Come back! It's not fair. You promised!" Her words were hidden in between sobs and it was hard to interpret what she was saying but when Cisco came down, he could see that she was losing it.

Cisco rushed towards her, helping her up off the ground, giving her that support that she needed. Her aching heart only made her head pound and she couldn't understand what was going on anymore. The lights in the room were glowing brighter, and a feeling of light-headedness fell upon her like a spell.

An idea came to mind, and with one arm around Sophia's shoulders in an attempt to keep her wobbly knees steady, he stretched out his right hand and touched the chair, his eyelids clamping shut as he began to vibe. Images and colours all flashed by til he was left seeing an endless vacuum of blue and green energy. It was similar to the colour of the breaches, but there was something different about it. There was this other-worldly feeling that it gave off and that was almost warning him that he shouldn't be there. That he was witnessing something that wasn't meant for him. He turned around in the void, focusing his eyes into the great storm til he found what he was looking for. He gasped at the sight of Barry standing there, his hood of his suit hanging behind his neck, and a confused expression written on his face. Barry looked around, unsure of where he was, and though Cisco tried to call out to him, it was a fruitless effort.

Cisco opened his eyes, breaking the connection, and a surge of hope ignited in him once again. Barry wasn't dead, he was just trapped somewhere. Though it sucked, their best friend was still alive. He looked down at Sophia who was now breathing hard once more, her cheeks flushed from crying and he knew that he had to tell her immediately.

"Sophia," Cisco called out her name but the noise that was resonating in her ears was far too loud, distracting her from hearing what he was saying. "It's going to be okay," Cisco said. "We're going to get him back."

"He's gone, Cisco. He p-promised me he wouldn't," She managed to get out, shaking her head. "He said he wouldn't leave me!"

"I saw him! I saw Barry. He's alive," Cisco told her. His words seemed to get her out of her catatonic like state and she looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

"What? Y-You did? He's alive?"

"He's alive," Cisco laughed, hugging Sophia tightly.

"He's alive," She breathed out, closing her eyes shut and holding onto Cisco, whispering the words again like a prayer.

" _He's alive."_

* * *

After the pain and white lights had faded, all Barry remembered was a heart wrenching scream calling out his name before waking up in his childhood home. He had been laying on the couch, only to sit up and see Joe standing in front of him, leaning against the wall with his arms by his side.

"Joe?" Barry asked, finding that his voice was hoarse, as though he had just awoke form a deep sleep. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands, blinking once more to clear his vision.

"Good to see you, Barry. But I'm not Joe." Could have fooled Barry because he was sure that was Joe West standing in front of him.

"You're not?" Barry furrowed his brows in confusion.

"No," The man replied.

"And all of this?" Barry gestured to the room they were standing in.

"It's not real. How do you feel, being back here?"

"I feel awful," Barry managed to croak out.

"We thought you'd be more comfortable talking to someone who looked familiar and in a place you knew."

"We? Who's _we_ , exactly?" Barry asked, taking a step back in uncertainty.

"That's a little hard to explain."

"Sit, Barry." When Barry didn't take a seat, the fake Joe walked forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Sit." Barry took a seat back down on the couch, Joe following in suit.

"How much do you know about the Speed Force?" Joe asked.

"It's the source of my power. It's what makes me a speedster?" Barry answered, the words coming out more like a question than a statement.

"Yes… and no."

Barry listened carefully, eyes never leaving Joe's.

"When the first subatomic particle sprang forth from the Big Bang to form reality as you know it, we were there. When the last proton decays, stops vibrating and plunges the universe into heat death, we'll be there too."

"I'm talking to the speed Force?" Barry asked, shaking his head as though it weren't possible. "Isn't that like saying I'm having a conversation with gravity or light or…"

"You need a minute. It's okay if you do. It's a lot to take in."

"So you're saying I'm… I'm talking to the source of my power, which just so happens to look like… my adoptive dad?" Barry laughed. "That's trippy."

"We pretty much invented trippy here," Joe joked.

"Look, I'm not sure why you brought me here, but you need to send me back. My friends are in danger from Zoom." Barry didn't care too much about the specifics of how he got here, all he needed was his speed, and to get back home. He couldn't leave them to fight the good fight on their own, not when they were at the finish line.

Suddenly a dark shadow cast itself behind the window across the room before disappearing once more, and then over the green hill in the distance. At first Barry thought it had been a Time Wraith, but there was something about it that seemed different, something about it that seemed almost familiar in the way it moved, the black figure gliding away and into the distance at a great speed.

"Did you see that?"

Barry nodded.

"You're not going back. Not until…"

"Til what?" He asked, turning back to look at Joe.

"Until you catch that."

* * *

Sophia was now in the cortex, the rest of the team gathered there as well once Cisco had called them. She had gone down to the bathroom, washing her face thoroughly in an attempt to make herself look more put together, but as she stood there with her hands braced on the basin in front of her, she could see her broken she was not through her face, but her eyes. She blinked away her sorrows once more and ruffled through the lockers after exiting the bathroom, pulling out one of Barry's old jackets that had been in there and pushing her arms through one at a time. The warm jacket engulfed her and was far too long seeing as though Barry was such a tall and lanky guy, but his familiar scent was still there and it put her at ease.

She then took her time in collecting herself as she walked back into the cortex, doing her best to avoid the eyes that were watching her so closely. She cleared her throat before taking a seat and then addressing Joe, Iris, Harry, Cisco and Henry who were all waiting.

"Cisco said that Barry's still alive," Sophia said.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know," Cisco said. "I vibed him in the centre of what could be a storm… It was like, in a vortex or something."

"He's in..." Harry began. "He's in the Speed Force."

"Get him out, damn it," Henry cursed, banging his hand down on the table, shocking most in the room. "I…" Henry pinched the bridge of his nose but didn't finish his apology.

"You can get him out, can't you?" Joe asked.

"I don't know if I can," Harry said, walking off and back to Jesse's side, grasping his daughter's cold hand with a firm grip.

"You have to! We have to," Sophia said, leaning back in her chair as she began to feel dizzy once more.

"Listen, you are the only one that can help Jesse," Joe said to Henry, trying to appeal to his reasoning and logic. "Let me sit on Wells til he figures out what the hell he did to Barry. I think we can get him back."

"Joe, I know you love Barry, okay? But you have Iris, and Wally. Barry's all I have left," Henry said in a small voice.

"I promise. We'll find him."

Henry nodded, and knew what he had to do. If he worked on helping Jesse then Wells would be able to focus on getting Barry back. But before he left to do just that, he placed his hand on Sophia's shoulder causing her to look up at him, her hands now in her lap instead of being used to bury her head in them.

"We're gonna get him back, kiddo," Henry told her and she just nodded, giving him a sad smile, but he could see in her eyes that she too was going through so much pain. It was that same pain he felt when he lost his wife, and now again when Barry had been taken from them. Henry gave her a sad smile and then moved into the med-bay to look after Jesse.

Sophia wasn't sure what to do with herself. She didn't have the energy or the heart to even move off this chair she was slouched in.

"We're going to the storage room downstairs to get some old treatment files," Cisco announced.

"You mean, the morgue?" Sophia asked, glancing up at Cisco with a frown.

"Ew, you guys have a morgue?" Iris asked.

"Well, it's not like a morgue _morgue_. It's a poor man's morgue, really…" Cisco began rambling.

"Either way, it's a morgue," Sophia said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Regardless, would one of you go get those files, please?" Henry asked, popping his head out when he heard the commotion. "We need them, it might give us some clues on how to help Jesse."

"Okay, well, I'm not going alone," Cisco muttered.

"I'll go with you," Iris offered, knowing that Sophia was in no shape to do so, receiving grateful smile from the superhero in response.

* * *

"Okay, so it's a morgue. But you know, we had to keep the dead meta-humans somewhere." The place was dark, cold and creepy but it had been useful in their line of work.

No one had been down in months and so the place had no running electricity as Cisco hadn't found it beneficial to divert energy to a place that wasn't being used. The door had made a loud creaking noise when they had entered, adding to the horror factor as they came into the room.

"Yeah, looks like you did a lot more than just store them," Iris remarked with a snort. There were dusty glass jars lined along shelves with experiments inside of them, with funny coloured liquids keeping them afloat and preserved. Iris cringed when she saw a chopped finger floating in one, the lime green solution keeping it alive and preserved so that it looked like it was fresh. She internally cringed and felt nauseas at the sight. She couldn't see how no one on their team had thought this was abnormal or not freaky, but obviously they hadn't been paying a lot of attention to what Harrison Wells has been doing in his spare time at Star Labs.

"Fake Wells might've done a few dissections for study purposes," Cisco trailed off.

"And this didn't tip any of you off that he might be secretly evil?" Iris asked incredulously. She shook her head. It was clear that they were scientists and not detectives or journalists. She was sure that if she had spent some more time there she would have discovered it all before it happened, but alas it was in the past and they were focused on the future.

"It was a crazy time, okay?" Cisco defended. "We had a lot going on… but I'll tell you what. It's a good thing Thawne was so organised," Cisco said as he shuffled through folders in a filing cabinet.

"Would you stop knocking stuff over?"

"You stop. I didn't touch anything," Iris complained, holding up the torch light. Some of the power in the lower levels of the building had still been out since the explosion.

"Okay, whatever you say."

Cisco rolled his eyes and then pulled out a file from the cabinet, B.A. written across the front along with a stamp that said CLASSIFIED in large red block letters. Most of their files on Barry had been electronic copy's but this was Harrison's hand-written work and analysis of Barry when he first came into them as a comatose patient, before he was showing any signs of being a meta-human. Cisco quickly flicked through to double check all the information was there, and with a hopeful nod, closed it and turned to Iris, holding the cream coloured folder up in his hand.

"Okay, this is it. This is Barry's ex-file."

It was then that another loud and large bang echoed from the other side of the room. Cisco and Iris who were standing next to each other looking at the file knew that it was neither of them that had made the noise. They both looked up at each other in fear, eyes wide as they turned around slowly to see where the noise came from, and more importantly, what had caused it. The flash light moved around the room, both of them holding their breath in anticipation until it found its target.

A tall man, with a pale face stumbled out of the dark, the small light emitted from the flashlight shining on one side of his face, introducing back into the world, Tony, but this time, a very different Tony.

"A zombie? _For real_?"

"Tony?!"

"Nope, not Tony… not anymore."

"Get behind me," Cisco said.

"You, get behind me," Iris frowned, pushing him behind her as she picked up a large metal hammer that was sitting on the side of a table nearby. She had grabbed it, holding it up and high above her head, the flashlight still in her other hand and pointed towards Tony. All they received in response was a grunt, and a long cry from the zombie version of Tony before he tried to come barrelling towards them. Iris screamed, moving backwards, stepping on Cisco's foot in the process before throwing the giant hammer at Tony's face. This seemed to deter him a little, giving them enough time to leg it out of there.

"Nope, did not see that one coming. Zombie Girder. This…" Cisco began but Iris cut him off, grabbing his hand to drag them out of there before they ended up dead.

"Run, Cisco!"

* * *

"We're glad you made it, Barry," A soft voice spoke to him, the same voice that he loved to hear whisper goodnight, and good morning every day.

"Sophia," Barry breathed out, eyes widening at the sound of her voice.

Before he had heard her voice he felt a sense of weightlessness, before suddenly appearing on the rooftop of Central City Hospital, turning around to see Sophia in her nursing scrubs, her hair braided and tied back comfortably like she usually had it when she was working a long shift. His heart leapt in excitement and relief but then he soon realised that it was just the Speed Force taking on yet another form. _It's not her._ He had to remind himself because it all felt so real.

"It's just you again," Barry said, his voice laced with disappointment.

"Sorry to disappoint. I thought this would be a nice place, we've shared a lot of beautiful memories up here," Sophia said, a smile quirking at her lips. "Don't you remember our first Christmas together?" She asked innocently, her hand coming to fiddle with the necklace resting upon her chest. It was the necklace that Barry had bought her just after they had started dating. At first he had thought it might have been too much, but it was Christmas time and he was in love, so he bought it on a whim and it turned out to be a good choice.

"I remember, of course, but that wasn't you. That was _her_."

"We thought you would find out appearance less upsetting, yet you seem upset." There was a sincere and soft look on Sophia's face, and it made him want to melt, to relax and not to worry, but the moment his brain connected the pieces again, that it wasn't real, he became rigid once more in both stance and conversation.

"My friends, my city… my whole wold is in danger. _She is in danger_. Zoom is on a rampage with the power that he stole from me, and you are keeping me here," Barry said.

"You were given a rare and precious gift, and you rejected it." Sophia took a step toward him, shaking one finger in the air like she was telling off a little child, berating him and belittling him, and it made him angry.

"No, I did not reject it," Barry defended, irritation brewing beneath his calm exterior. "I gave up my powers to save someone's life… to be a hero. I nearly killed myself trying to get them back, when you brought me here, wherever here is."

"That's _not_ what we meant," She clarified without being specific.

"Okay. If you would rather have given these powers to someone else, why did you give them to me?"

"Because, you're The Flash, Barry."

* * *

"We got a new problem," Cisco yelled as he and Iris ran into the cortex. The urgency and panic in his voice caused Sophia to turn and look up at him, doing so properly for the first time that day.

"Our accelerator experiment seems to have reanimated one of the dead Meta's in our morgue."

"Reanimated, like brought back to life?"

" _Life-ish_. You ever seen The Walking Dead?" Cisco asked. "It's The Walking Dead, but without higher brain function and with major rage issues. Still unsure if our brains are on the menu, though."

"Which one?" Sophia asked, her voice cracking as she did so. She cringed at hearing it, but after crying so roughly, her throat was sore.

"Tony Woodward." She frowned.

"The bully from school who turned into the metal man?" She asked for clarification, receiving a nod in response. "That's not good, Cisco. He's very impulsive."

"History repeats itself. First as a tragedy and then as a farce."

"Wells, as a parent, believe me, I have nothing but sympathy for what you're going through. Listen to me closely when I say to you, we got a lot of fires burning at the same time, and if we all work together we just might be able to put them out," Joe said to Harry who was sitting on the sidelines, an angry expression written on his face.

"Let Henry take care of your daughter. Sophia, Iris and I will handle this Girder situation, but you and Cisco are the scientists. You're the only one who can bring Barry back from wherever the hell he is right now."

Harry paused, processing the information before he decided it was the best course of action. He was so hooked on what was going on with his daughter that he was losing sight of the bigger picture. "Ramon… give those medical records to Henry, and meet me in the Breach Room in five minutes. We've got work to do."

With the nod of his head, Cisco rushed into the room to pass along the files to Henry, quickly explaining what was what before leaving the cortex to meet Harry, leaving Joe, Iris and Sophia alone in the cortex.

Sophia stood up from her chair and took a deep breath, pulling the hair tie from her wrist to tie up her hair. Her face was painted with exhaustion and though she barely had any energy to function, she knew she had to step up, to take responsibility and help the team like she always did. There was a sliver of hope deep down inside of her that prayed for Barry's swift return, and if she helped put out the fires like Joe said, then they could focus all their efforts into getting him back.

"Now we just need to find Tony," Iris said.

"Yeah, hopefully before he kills someone," Joe replied.

"We'll stop him, together," Sophia said. "I'll do a quick round over the city, see if I can spot anything, Iris you should man the desk here, and keep me posted through the comms," Sophia instructed, then turning to look at Joe who just gave her a nod.

"I'll get down to the CCPD, see if I can find any leads, and I'll put out an APB on him," Joe said, giving Iris a kiss on the cheek goodbye before leaving.

"Are you sure you can do this? Dad and I can work on it til we need you to pick Tony up?" Iris suggested, placing a hand on Sophia's shoulder in support.

"I-I should be fine," Sophia said. "The initial shock is gone, and all I want to do now is sort this mess out so we can get Barry back."

"Okay," Iris said. "Why don't you head on out. I'll direct you through here, Cisco's showed me how to use the new system already."

"Thanks, Iris."

"Not a problem, Soph." Iris smiled and Sophia felt like they could do this.

* * *

"So how do we know this is safe?" Cisco asked, watching as Harry tinkered around with his glasses, wincing as he ripped off a few wires and attached it to a metal helmet that looked like a death trap.

"Well, define _safe_."

"Safe, as in my brain's not gonna melt."

"No. It's a simple feedback loop, Ramon, all right?" Harry asked. "When you vibe on Barry, your brain waves send me the necessary data to pinpoint whatever dimensional pocket or corner of the universe that Barry is stuck in. And then we electrically stimulate your prefrontal cortex while opening a breach, which gives you physical access to Barry and lets you be the beacon to guide him home," Harry said. "See. Simple feedback loop."

Cisco's eyes widened almost comically. " _I'm sorry_. Did you say, electrically stimulate?"

"Ramon, do you want to bring Barry back or not?"

"Okay," Cisco sighed.

Harry pressed a button on the machine, and it whirred to life, the loud guttural noise not doing much too calm Cisco's nerves. He then placed the helmet around his head and focused, one hand reaching out into the distance, creating a bright breach in front of him.

A light emitted on screen, along with a small beep indicating that the machine was working. Harry grinned hopefully.

"And we have a lock."

* * *

"I don't understand," Barry said. "If I'm the Flash, then why are you doing this to me? Why do I have to catch this… this thing before you let me go back?" When he didn't receive an answer in response, he kept talking, pleading for them to let him go. "Please, look, I will do whatever you want. Just let me go back right now, so I can help my friends."

" _Barry!"_

" _Barry turn around_!" Barry turned around when he heard a voice yell out his name, his heart was beating faster. He was sure that it was Cisco.

"What is that?" Barry asked, seeing the opening of a blue void in the distance, Cisco's face appearing inside it.

"Those are your friends," The speed force told him. "They want you to come back."

"Can I?"

"Of course," Sophia said, the fake version of herself taking a step towards Barry, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But if you do, it will be without your powers."

" _Take my hand!"_ Cisco yelled. _"Do it. Take my hand!"_

"The choice is yours, Barry," She said. "But you won't be of help to any of your friends, or your lover without your powers."

With a clenched fist, Barry stood away from the breach that had been opened, turning his back on Cisco who clearly looked like he was trying to bring him back. He felt terrible, but as he closed his eyes he knew he had made the right choice. He wasn't leaving this place until he got his powers, and if it meant chasing down some dark ghoul then he would have to do it.

* * *

"What is going on in here?" Sophia asked, returning from her rounds in the city. She hadn't found anything on Tony, and was waiting a call from Joe to see what he had found. In the meantime she had thought it would be worthwhile to oversee the progress that Harry and Cisco were making downstairs in the breach room only to find Cisco in a state of distress.

"Just hang on a little longer, Ramon…" Harry whispered. "A little longer."

"Hey, you're gonna kill him!" Sophia yelled out.

"Cisco! Hey, Cisco, can you hear me?" Sophia asked, cradling his head in her hands.

Cisco blinked a few times, his vision blurred but slowly forming a picture. He no longer felt dizzy and with a few deep breaths he was feeling fine. He brought his hand up to wipe under his nose when he felt something warm and wet trickle down only to see that it was blood. "I saw him," Cisco whispered, watching the look of hope and fear that was written across Sophia's face at the uttering of his words.

"Is he okay?" She asked, hesitantly, not sure if she was ready for an answer other than yes.

"Yeah. I saw him. Barry… he turned to me," Cisco said. "I'm sorry. I lost him."

"No," Sophia said. "We can get to him, we can-," In her panicked state, she lost her trail of thought, bringing her hands up to her face, trying to keep her sanity. But it seemed she wouldn't have a break, as the alarm for the meta-human app blared throughout the facility.

The three of them were quick to rush up to the cortex where Iris was typing away at the computer, doing her best to get the alarms to stop ringing. The journalist slammed her hand down on a button she found on the side of the table, hidden amongst papers and cords, and finally it stopped.

"Thanks."

"Cisco's meta-human alert app is going crazy," Iris said, pulling up the video feed that was flowing through the app. When they saw the damage done with their own eyes they realised why.

"Oh, Tony just trashed the hell out of Jitters," Joe said, rushing into the room, most of them looking to him for an explanation. He then filled in the team that there had also been sightings of Tony outside Big Belly Burger earlier that evening.

"Now that is strange. He knocks over a hydrant on 4th and Stevenson, doesn't go into the building, then smashes a Humvee in front of the Big Belly Burger, but doesn't go into the building. Gets to CC Jitters… he actually goes in," Harry said, narrowing his eyes at the screen in speculation.

"Yeah, it's like Jitter's was his target, but why?"

"When I was in Iron Heights awaiting trial, I had a cellmate who always swore he was gonna break out. At a pre-trial hearing, he stole a deputy's gun and escaped in a police cruiser," Henry said, retelling the story. He saw the look of uncertainty and confusion on Joe's face, and he was quick to reassure them that there was a point to his story. "There is a point to this, Joe, I promise. Now the poor, dumb bastard could have gone anywhere, right?"

Sophia nodded, wondering where he was going with this.

"But he was apprehended two hours later. Do you know why? Cause he went to his old girlfriend's house looking for her."

"So you think that's what Tony's doing, even in the state he's in now? He's going to places that he's familiar with, somewhere that he can find a connection," Sophia stated.

"I think people are creatures of habit, sometimes at a level stronger than conscious thought."

"No, I don't think that Tony had a girlfriend," Iris said with the shake of her head. "I mean, not with the way that he was hitting on me when he…" She paused when the sudden realisation set in. "He came into Jitters. He's after me again."

"So, when he was after you the first time, where'd you see him next, after Jitters?"

"Home. He came to our house when he took you," Joe said, quickly pulling out his phone to get Wally to leave. "Wally's there now."

"No, no, Dad, this is good," Iris said and Joe was looking at her like she was crazy. "We know where he is, and we know what we wants. That means we know how to beat him?"

"How do you propose we do that?"

"We use me as bait to lure him back to Star Labs, where Sophia can stop him," Iris suggested.

"If I hit him with enough energy he should stay down. He's a zombie at this point, so I can't imagine he has much of a fight left," Sophia said.

"Mmm."

"Let's do this."

* * *

The scene shifted once more and Barry was no longer on the rooftop of City Central's Hospital, and instead he was standing in a familiar graveyard. The trees were strong, leaves whistling in the wind as the air rushed through the cemetery. The grey stones that stood above the graves, with the names of his friends carved in were enough to shake him, but as he moved closer into the site, his sneakers squishing into the lush green grass, he noticed a particular stone straight ahead.

There was a single flower resting upon the ground in front of his mother's grave. It was a sunflower, one of her favourites. Barry closed his eyes and turned around to look into the eyes of Eddie, his friend who he had lost. Just seeing his face made him felt guilty, because he was one of those people laying in the graves that surrounded them.

"Who are you pretending to be now? I don't have time for this," Barry said through gritted teeth.

"Yes, you do, Barry," Eddie spoke. "You have all the time in the universe… _literally_."

"No, I don't," Barry said. "And how can you stand there in judgement and accuse me of rejecting my gift? Do you have any idea how much I've done since I was first struck by lightning, how many people I've helped with the power that you gave me…what I've sacrificed?"

"Of course we do. You've saved countless lives," Eddie said. "And now you're the only thing standing in between your world and unspeakable evil. And yet, for all of that, you've never been here."

Barry was silent, not giving a response because he knew it was true. He had never truly been to visit his mother's grave, not like he had with his other friends. He knew that it was real, that she was gone and that he couldn't save her, that she wouldn't be coming back. But somehow, the thought of visiting her grave would make that all the more real. It would set it in stone in his mind, and he knew that his heart couldn't take that. It was the same feeling he had when Sophia had gone missing, when he thought she had died. Those three months were the worst of his life, and it took him back to the darkness and pain that he had endured when his mother was murdered. And so because of this past experience, he knew exactly what the Speed Force was telling him, and to dispute it or otherwise would be hypocritical of him at the very least.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Sophia asked Iris who was tying the shoelaces on her florescent green Nike runners, shaking her arms as she stood up.

"You know what? Two minutes ago, I would've said yes, absolutely. But now… what the hell?" Iris said with a laugh of insanity and courageousness that made Sophia grin.

"I'll be with you the entire time, flying above. If he gets too close I'll swing by. We're only doing it this way so we can safely take him down, okay, but I won't let you get hurt," Sophia promised. She was dressed in her super-suit once more, and the familiarity of the fabric on her body gave her a sense of purpose and security that she hadn't felt in the past day or so. It was nearly two days since Barry had gone missing, and she hadn't slept a wink throughout it, determined to fight through the exhaustion to get him back. She could rest when he was in her arms once more, and not until that moment.

"I know. I trust you," Iris said, opening the door to the front of her house and jogging out onto her street where Tony was walking towards her home in the middle of the road. His body was pale and he truly looked like a character out of a zombie apocalypse.

Iris placed two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly, catching his attention instantly. Iris stuck her arm out and waved him over, feeling the adrenaline rush through her veins, and her heart rate pick up. She hoped that it would allow her to run faster, because she did not want to screw this up. She wanted to be a part of the team in more than one way, and being out here and on the battle ground was exhilarating and she would give anything to do this more often.

"Tony! Hey!" He had stopped in the middle of the road, but when he recognised that it was Iris West, he started to move forward faster than before. "Come on, over here."

Sophia watched from above carefully as Tony chased after Iris who was keeping up well with the short run to Star Labs.

"You guys near Star Labs yet?" Cisco asked through Sophia's comm.

"Just about there," Sophia replied. "Lock the doors as soon as Iris enters."

* * *

"Why did you bring me here?" Barry asked. He knew why, but he wanted to hear it aloud.

"Your mother's death happened to you, Barry. It made you who you are, but have you accepted it, really accepted losing her?" Hearing these words come from the voice of his father just made it all the bit harder to admit it. "Maybe that's why you wouldn't come here… cause that would make it real."

"I know it's real. Every day I know it. I had a chance to save her. You saw what I chose," Barry said, but the words felt sour on his tongue. It was like he was lying to himself. But then again, there were always two sides to the story.

"And you're at peace with that decision?"

Barry scoffed. _"At peace?"_ He inhaled sharply, looking away from his mother's grave. "How could someone ever be at peace with letting his mother die… deciding that his life was more valuable than hers?"

"Do you really think that you're mother would've wanted you to die for her? And out of all the people the Flash saved as a result of that decision, what about them? Do their lives value too?" The Speed force asked.

"I don't have to listen to this. I have to get home."

* * *

"Now, Sophia!" Iris told her through the comm. She was safe inside of Star Labs,

Sophia flew down promptly, landing on the ground out front of Star Labs where Tony was now standing, bashing his hands against the tough glass in an attempt to get through and into the building where Iris was now hiding.

"It's over, Tony. You can't have her."

"No," Tony grunted turning around to face her. Anger contorted on his face, and he came barrelling towards her, his arms suddenly sprouting with a metallic skin as he attacked.

Sophia easily deflected it, her body flying out to the side, missing the giant fist that was aiming to pummel her body into the ground. Tony went stumbling from the momentum after his miss, growling louder as the rage built up within him.

With palms steady and braced out in front of her, a giant ball of energy shot out towards Tony, hitting him squarely in the back and knocking him off his feet.

The fight continued on, Tony jumping up fast enough to throw a heavy blow at Sophia who grunted in pain as she lay on the ground for a moment to gather herself. She was about to get up when she saw his fist aimed for her face, and she only moved out of the way just in time, rolling to her right, his fist smashing the concrete floor with a powerful blow, shaking the ground.

She flew up into the sky, floating high and out of Tony's reach. It was then that an idea came to mind. She flew higher and higher til she was directly above Tony, before forming two fists of energy, her arms now stretched out in front of her as her body shot down in the sky, like a torpedo. She got closer and closer until her energised fists made contact with Tony's form, crushing him into the ground, the concrete cracking underneath his weight, and the force of the blow.

The hit proved to be too much for Tony, the energy sizzling his skin, and a moment later, he became nothing more than dust on the concrete ground.

"What happened to him?" Sophia asked, fear laced in her voice. She had never reduced someone to ashes before, and the very sight was freaking her out.

"He was a zombie, that plus the energy, it was bound to happen," Cisco reassured her through the comm.

"Oh, okay," Sophia breathed out, trying to catch her breath, her mind still frazzled over what had just happened. "At least that's over."

* * *

"Mom," Barry breathed out, seeing her in front of him now that he had come back to the house. He had taken the time to walk back to his childhood home, the empty streets giving him some peace and quiet to think until he arrived. What he hadn't expected was to see his mother upon entering the house.

"Hi, Barry."

"You're not my mother," Barry said, blinking away tears. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"We're not doing anything to you, sweetheart. You're just so tired. Sit, Barry." Barry gave in, sitting down on the couch next to her, letting her hold his hands, his mother rubbing soft soothing circles onto his palms like she always did when he was a kid.

"You were right all along. I haven't accepted it… not for a second. I don't think I ever will," Barry said in a small voice, his sad eyes gazing up at his mother's face. He had missed her so much, and seeing her here before him made his heart ache.

" _My beautiful boy_ … you have to find a way," She spoke sweetly, bringing him into a tight hug, her warmth and comforting embrace bringing him ease.

"How?"

"I don't know. But I know this. What you've become… it's wonderful… a miracle even, but it won't make bad things stop happening to you. Even the Flash can't outrun the tragedies the universe is gonna keep sending your way. You have to accept that. And then you can truly run free."

"I know. I just miss her. I miss you so much." A kiss was pressed to his forehead and Barry closed his eyes, treasuring the moment for he knew he would never experience it again unless in his dreams. This would be the last time he ever saw his mother again in a physical form and the thought shattered his heart.

"What if I told you that she's proud of you? And of the man that you've become?" She said.

"Who's telling me that… the Speed Force or my mother?" Barry asked.

"Both."

The longer Barry looked at her, the more things became clear. He knew what he had to do. He adorned his suit, and when he saw the black figure outside he did what The Flash did best.

He ran.

* * *

"Now that we've dealt with Tony what are we going to do about getting Barry back?"

"I saw Barry. He had this look…" Cisco began. "What if we couldn't get him out of the Speed Force because he didn't want to come back?"

Sophia looked down at her hands, unsure of what to do. She felt utterly helpless. She looked up to Cisco with tears forming in her eyes, her face dropping at his words. "We can't give up," She said. "We have to do something."

"Turn it on! Try again," Henry said.

Cisco moved, placing the helmet on his head and did just that. The machine was on and he was vibing, the breach opening only allowing him to see inside, his voice calling out for Barry to return.

"Any of you got a better idea?" Harry asked.

Sophia paused, looking up at the scientist. She wondered… "When you look into the Speed Force, can someone else see into it too?" She asked.

"Well as long as you're in physical contact with Ramon while he's vibing, then theoretically… yes."

She didn't bother saying another word, or asking another question before she leapt forward, her hand grasping Cisco's bicep, her eyes blowing wide and bright in colour as she called out for Barry.

Her world shifted and she felt like she had been turned upside down as she stood in the middle of what looked like a storm. Bright colours of white and blue blended together, and she turned around on the spot to see Barry standing a few feet away from her. But no matter how far she moved or stretched she couldn't reach him. She yelled out for him to turn around but he didn't look. It was only when she called his name that his eyes met hers.

" _Barry!" She yelled his name. "Come home, please, come home to me," Sophia pleaded, her arm stretched out as far as she could reach it._

 _When he saw her, his face lit up with determination and longing. He reached out towards, her his hair billowing from the wind created by the storm in the Speed Force. He reached closer and closer until their fingertips touched, and her hand was grasped tightly in his own, and he let himself be pulled back home._

 _Back to Sophia._

Barry tumbled through the breach and into Sophia's arms, who was caught by Cisco. Sophia's eyes adjusted to the light in the room, and she beamed, tears of relief rolling down her cheeks when she saw that he was there. She threw her arms around him in a tight hug, squeezing him hard with her head buried into the crook of his neck, her tears now actively falling faster and harder. She was so worried that she wouldn't get him back and that he would be lost to her forever.

"It's okay," Barry whispered soothingly into her ear, pressing a kiss to her head. "I'm here, I'm home."

Sophia pulled away, pressing a kiss to his cheek before stepping back, allowing the rest of their friends to greet him, Henry and Joe taking their time with hugging Barry equally as tight.

"I'm so glad you're back," Cisco said, patting Barry on the back.

"Believe me, I am too," Barry said, smiling brightly as he looked around at his friends and family.

"You'll never believe what happened," Iris said with a grin.

"What?" Barry asked.

"Zombie Girder, that's what," Cisco muttered. "It's a long story, one I'll be happy to re-tell tomorrow. I think we all deserve some sleep after the last two days of hell," Cisco said.

" _Agreed_."

Slowly one by one, each said goodnight, bidding each other goodbye with hugs and kisses. Sophia intertwined her hand in Barry's squeezing it gently, as though to remind herself that he was still there. When he smiled at her softly, she returned it, a loving gaze directed at him.

"Let's go home, love," Sophia said, standing up and pressing a kiss to his lips, a heavenly sigh escaping her mouth as Barry pressed his lips harder against hers.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be," He said, leaning his forehead against hers. He kissed her soundly once more before lifting her up in his arms, and running them over to her apartment, leaving her in shock.

"Your powers," Sophia said as he let her down. "It worked."

"It worked," Barry laughed and the angelic sound was music to her ears. In all the drama of getting Barry back they had forgotten to ask him if his powers had returned and she was beyond relieved.

"Thank god," She breathed out, resting her forehead against his, the two of them just holding each other. "I thought I had lost you, Bar. I-I couldn't breathe, I never want to lose you ever again, I-," Sophia didn't finish her sentence as she began to cry once more, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Barry held her close, rubbing her back as she got her emotions out.

"Shhh, I'm here, it's okay. I'm not leaving you," Barry promised through a whisper, his lips pressing a kiss to her head. "I'll never leave you."

* * *

After a long night, the two superheroes woke up late the following morning, only stretching and getting out of bed by midday. Sophia was still emotionally exhausted from the last few days, but Barry was there to pick her back up. He even suggested that they go for a walk after breakfast, and somehow they had ended up at the florists, picking out some of his mother's favourite flowers and they were now standing in the middle of the Central City cemetery with the intention of visiting Nora.

"Joe offered to take me so many times," Barry said as he laid down a bouquet of flowers on his mother's grave. "I always found an excuse to say no."

Sophia knew exactly how he felt. It had been tough for her to visit her mother's grave after they buried her in the ground, but eventually she had accepted her father's offer, holding his hand the entire way through it all, and she had done it.

"It's hard, visiting the place where your mother is buried. The woman who's meant to be there for you, is suddenly gone. It's something no child should have to go through," Sophia said, tightening her grip on the umbrella she was holding up, protecting them from the rain that was pouring down on Central City that morning. She was glad that they had both had enough foresight to dress warm, their dark coats keeping the cold out.

"I know," Barry said. "We never had that stability, at least not until now."

"What are you getting at Barry?" Sophia asked, as he stood back up, underneath the shelter, facing her.

"I'm getting at that I love you more than anything on this Earth, Sophia. You're my sun and stars and I don't think I could do this without you. Be this hero, even be myself anymore. With you, I'm a better man. All I know is that you're everything to me, no matter what happens, you always have been. And the sound of your voice will always bring me home," Barry said, his words touching every corner of her heart. The heavy look in his eyes was enough to make her swoon and all she wanted to do in that moment was kiss him, and so she did.

Sophia didn't care that she dropped the umbrella or that they became drenched with the cold waters of the winter, she couldn't keep her arms off him, or her lips for that matter. The black umbrella tumbled to the ground, rolling on the grass and her feet took a step forward, her arms reaching to rest around his neck. Her lips were pressed against his, warm and rich as they kissed, and in her heart, Sophia knew that there would never be anyone else for her. She had found her soulmate in Barry Allen and she would never let go.

* * *

"Cait, please," Hunter said, his hand reaching out to touch her, but he retracted it when he saw her physically curl up towards her little bubble of safety in the corner of the room.

"I asked you not to call me that," Caitlin cringed.

"Caitlin… we've been through this again and again, and we've gotten nowhere. Now I need to know….are you with me or are you against me?" Hunter asked. "Don't answer that yet. I'm gonna go out there, spend a moment speaking to my friends, and when I come back, you'll give me your answer. If you're still here, I'll know you've chosen to stay with me. But if you're not here… I'll known you've chosen your friends instead. And I will show you exactly as much mercy as I will show them when we next see each other."

Caitlin did what any sane person would do. She bolted as soon as Zoom left the room. There was no way in hell that she was going to stand by the side of a mass murderer, especially not one who wanted her only friends and family dead.

"My brothers and sisters… my friends… I've brought us to this new world which lays before us, defenceless, ours for the taking. The humans think that this planet belongs to them. Whose world is this?" Zoom preached, his words inciting feelings of pride and determination amongst his followers.

"Our world! Our World! Our World!" They chanted over and over again, the loud sound like music to his ears.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **This chapter was so hard to write. Hope you all enjoyed it!**

 **But I'm in the process of writing the final chapter for this story! And then planning out the sequel, but more info on that will be available with the last chapter. Just trying to get around these last few chapters, they have been a bit messy to write.**

 **P.s. A note to any Harry Potter fans out there that follow this story, I've posted a few one-shots for the marauders on my page, so if you're interested, go check it out and let me know what you think! Thanks.**

Reviews:

 **Beachgirlsrule** : Thank you! I'm glad you got the notification finally, I was so annoyed that the system was down, I'm sure a lot of people didn't realise there was a new update. Yes, I'm in the process of writing the final chapter and its sad stuff.

 **Rebelforcauses** : Thanks for the review love! I hope this chapter wasn't too hard on your feels either.

 **ImsebastianstanButter** : Thanks for the review, and I hope this chapter was a bit better, but then I realised it really isnt' there's so much angst. Yikes. But regardless, hope you enjoy it.

 **Cleo9427** : Hahaha, thank you for your review, it made me laugh! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, the next one will be up in around 2 weeks after my finals are over!

 **Gossamermouse101** : I knooooooow. SO much drama. Hope you enjoyed this update! Thank you so much for the review.

 **RHatch89** : Thanks for the review!

 **LMarie99** : Thank you so much. I hope you like this chapter as well. Xx

 **Guest** : Love, love, loved your review! That compliment is honestly so nice, I'm crying real tears here. It means the world to me. So glad that you are loving the story, and I hope this one doesn't make you cry too much. I tried to throw some fluff in there as well, but it's getting to a dramatic point in the season so it's a little hard.

Thank you again for all the new faves/follows and reviews, you guys are amazing!

Til next time.

Heroherondale.


	23. Invincible

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Screams echoed down the streets of Central City, and the sight was terrifying to say the least. It was a war zone. Vicious flames burned wildly around crushed cars and motor vehicles, citizens rushing indoors to safety, and the Meta's from Earth 2, cackling as they roamed the streets terrorizing the people of Central City.

The chaos had erupted unexpectedly, leaving Sophia and Barry with little time to relax or come up with a plan. It was pretty much find a Meta, stop them and lock them up at this point. But neither of them had an issue with that.

Sapphire flew over the city, weaving in and out of the tall buildings in an attempt to lose the Meta who happened to be able to fly. She wasn't too keen on exchanging names with the eccentric blonde, all she wanted to do was kick her ass, and so that's what she focused on. With a speed that she hadn't known she possessed, she flew in a circle, around the one building, leaving her opponent confused. Sophia threw her hands up in the air, a thick wall of energy forming in a second flat, the Meta crashing into it as she made a sharp turn in an attempt to keep up with her.

Sophia dropped the wall and then flew at her head on, arms stretched out in front of her, punching the blonde in the abdomen, who let out a cry of surprise, unable to brace herself as they went crashing into the building, glass shattering around them as they tumbled inside the top level of the Nelson Law firm they had broken into.

The blonde had jumped up quickly, shards of glass forming in her hands before they were fired out and towards Sophia. A shield appeared before Sophia before she had even registered it, her body fighting alongside with her, crumbling the glass instantly.

"Is that all you got, Sapphire?" The blonde asked. "I'm Slick by the way," The tall blonde said with a cocky smirk, her piercing blue eyes exaggerated by the dark kohl that lined her eyelids.

"Don't worry honey, I got plenty more," Sophia said, as she stepped forward, throwing her leg out to slide behind Slick's, hooking her foot behind the blonde's and pulling back harshly, causing her to crash to her knees painfully.

Sophia jumped back up from her position on the floor, just as Slick turned around to face her, placing her palms directly in front of her chest, firing a blast of energy at her. Slick went flying backwards, her body smashing against a pillar, sliding down to rest at the bottom of it, blood trickling from her lips and her eyes closed.

"Sloppy's more like it," Sophia scoffed at her opponent who had been defeated too easily. She quickly informed Barry and with the blink of an eye, Slick was out of the building and now one of the many new residents of the pipeline.

"Where next, Cisco?" Sophia asked, pressing her palm to the inside of her wrist where she had been nicked by the shards of glass when she had crashed into the building. It was only a superficial laceration but the blood was flowing faster than it usually would because of the high levels of adrenaline currently in her system that pumped her blood harder than normal.

"23rd and Fisher," Cisco said. "There's three assholes there who are torching vans and parked cars," Cisco informed her. "No visible signs of civilians so go wild."

"Copy that."

Sophia cracked her neck to the side, warming her hands up before she placed them by her side, using the top level of the office as a runway. She burst into a sprint towards the window that was broken, feet pounding on the tiled floors as she made it to the window, jumping out of it with a yell of excitement, adrenaline rushing through her as she shot out into the sky and towards her destination.

Her eyes were illuminated with their usual effervescent cobalt and she could see the look of fear on the face of at least two of the idiot Meta's that she was now headed towards to.

The one that didn't have the fear written on his face, but the very familiar signs of psychosis shot balls of fire from his hands out at her. She glided to the side, easily dodging them. She twirled before landing on the ground below, curling her arms inwards to her chest, bending her knees slightly as she built up a mountain of energy within. She tilted her head up looking at the three who were watching her with caution.

"You think you're so hot, _catch this_ ," Sapphire yelled out, tossing her arms out to the side, a giant sphere of energy shooting out from the front of her chest, blasting the three sky high. None of them could move out of the way quickly enough, and the energy sparked, crackling when it hit the ground, sending the two men and the one female convulsing on the ground as the energy electrocuted them. When the spasms finally stopped they passed out.

Pride and a sense of achievement bloomed in her chest as she pressed her finger to the comm. in her ear. "Another three down in less than thirty seconds," She reported. "I think I'm winning," She panted. It was exhilarating to say the least, but she had used more energy that night than she had in a long time, and exhaustion was slowly creeping up on her.

"Hey now," The Flash said, suddenly appearing before her on the street, cuffing the Meta's in the blink of an eye, and dropping them off at the Star Labs prison before coming back to finish his statement. "It's a joint effort," He winked, pressing a kiss to her flushed cheek with lightning speed.

"It sure is," Sophia smiled back at him.

"How many more?" Barry asked.

"None left that I can see through the app. The rest must be in hiding. I'm sure that Zoom wouldn't have sent out all of them at once. He's strategized. I think it's time you guys head back in for a breather. The CCPD can deal with the rest for now."

"See you in a flash," Barry said through the comm. with a grin, picking Sophia up in his arms to run them over.

* * *

The TV broadcast was loud and clear when Barry and Sophia entered Star Labs. Cisco tossed them both a bottle of water, the two drinking as much as they could as they kept their eyes on the screen.

" _Some people are calling it the metapocalypse, the days when Central City was overrun by an army of powers beyond imagination. But in these dark times, we must never forget our own strength, our own power to fight back. That it is only in the blackest of nights that we can truly see the light… and know for sure that we are not alone."_

Pictures of damage and destruction across Central City were being shown, as were photos of the villains wreaking havoc. But some courageous journalists and news channels had also managed to capture footage of The Flash and Sapphire cleaning up the streets of Central City, along with the brave police force that was doing everything in its power to keep the people of this city safe.

Sophia felt bad that she wasn't answering her phone. The hospital was bustling with work, the ER packed to the brim with innocent civilians who had been caught in the crossfire, but she was worth more to this city as the Sapphire Knight than Sophia Lang, ER nurse.

"We usually take these guys down one at a time, not 100 at a time," Barry mused, as he munched on a specialised speedster energy bar.

"And yet, you don't seemed overwhelmed."

"I know we can do it," Barry said.

"So far, so good. These idiots are reckless, it gives us an advantage," Sophia pointed out.

"Guys," Cisco said, rushing back into the room. "You have to come see this." He didn't even wait for a reply and instead grabbed Sophia's wrist and then Barry's dragging them towards the med bay.

"Cisco, what are you…" Barry's eyes went wide when he saw who was sitting there.

"Caitlin?"

"She's in shock," Cisco said as Sophia rushed towards Caitlin who was wrapped in a thick warm blanket. She looked worn out, small tears in her clothes and the dark circles underneath her eyes indicated that it had been a while since she had a proper sleep.

"A little dehydrated and malnourished, but I think she'll be fine," Henry assessed.

"Cait," Sophia said softly. "It's okay, you're safe now," Sophia said, pulling her friend into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I'm okay," Caitlin said, looking up at Barry and Sophia, mustering the best smile she could to show that she truly would be alright. But as the scientist's eyes met Sophia's she knew immediately that something was amiss, and the thought of Zoom laying a hand on her friend made her sick to her stomach.

"What happened? How did you get away?"

"He… he let me go," Caitlin said looking down at her hands, avoiding the gazes of pity that were directed at her. "I didn't think he would, I thought it was a trap. But he told me you were dead," Caitlin said.

"I'm not. I'm right here," Barry reassured her, bringing her into a warm hug.

"We're all here, together."

"Snow," Harry uttered in surprise as he walked into the room with his daughter by his side, he hadn't expected to see her. As soon as he did, he connected the dots, standing a bit stiffer.

"Jay's not here," Cisco said, reassuring the Wells duo.

"He's gonna overrun the city. You can't stop him," Harry said.

"Yes, we can. Listen to me, he's not going to succeed. We've got this. This is our Earth," Barry said, words of inspiration tumbling off his lips.

"We can do it," Sophia said.

"You don't know that. You don't know what he is capable of," Harry warned.

"I know from being in the Speed Force that the universe is with us, not Zoom. And if the universe is with us, how could we possibly lose?" Barry asked. " _Right, guys_?"

"Yeah, yeah, right."

Their delayed reply didn't seem to faze him and he walked over to Caitlin, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You've been through a lot. You should get some rest, come on."

"You were in the Speed Force?" Caitlin asked with wide eyes as they walked.

"I… when you were gone. It's hard to explain, but we tried to get my powers back and when the dark matter lightning…" Barry explained as he escorted Caitlin back to the med bay.

"Okay, I'm gonna say it," Cisco spoke, jumping up from his seat. "Um, we don't think he's being just a little too…"

" _Overconfident_?" Sophia suggested, looking over at Cisco. "I mean, we did kick ass tonight. We rounded up over 30 Meta's in a few hours and usually it takes us days just to find one," Sophia pointed out.

"Yeah, plus, it could be because of his time in the Speed Force," Iris said. "I mean, he's acting like he's invincible now or something." It was only when Iris said that word that Sophia began to worry. When she looked at it from their point of view, she realised they did have a valid point. If Barry was too overconfident, if he went running in without his guard on, then bad things could happen. He would be vulnerable.

"Yeah, like nothing fazes him anymore, which isn't…" Joe trailed off.

"Realistic, no," Harry hummed. "Somebody needs to talk to him before letting his guard down gets him hurt or worse."

"He did bring me out of my coma," Jesse pointed out. "That's bound to make someone a little overly chipper."

"Well, like I said, somebody needs to talk to him," Harry said, a frown painted on his face. Sophia looked over at him curiously and wondered if she had ever seen him without a look of uncertainty or worry on his face. Then again, he had a pretty tough life so she couldn't blame him for his cynical views.

"Henry, you want this one?" Joe asked, looking over at the older Allen.

"Yeah, I'll talk to him," Henry said. "It'll be fine. I'm sure he's just happy to be back is all."

* * *

An hour had passed and Henry now found himself tagging along with Cisco and Barry to Mercury Labs where they had met Dr. Christina McGee who had just been the unfortunate recipient of an attack on her facility.

The woman was astute and a blessing to meet, and the whole situation did shed some light on what really was going on in Central City. Once they had finished their business there, Henry had pulled his son to the side, wanting to talk with him privately for a moment, in particular about the events of that morning.

"Hey, slugger," Henry said to Barry with a warm smile. "Can we talk for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure. What's up?" Barry asked.

"Well, I know you said that what happened to you in the Speed Force changed the way you see things, but you seem very optimistic, you know, with a lot of meta-humans running around tearing up the city," Henry explained. "What, did you see the future in there?"

"No," Barry laughed. "Not this time. Look… What I was shown in the Speed Force didn't just change my mind, it changed me. I don't know what you're seeing as optimism is, for the first time, I'm just not afraid anymore," Barry said truthfully.

"Great, that's…" Henry trailed off unsure of how to put it to his son. "You know you still have to be careful, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well…"

"Why are you trying to take something from me that I fought so hard to get to?" Barry asked harshly, and Henry could sense the tone of resentment that was layered in his words.

"Barry!"

"I… you… you don't know everything that I've been through, Dad. You haven't been here long enough to know."

The look of hurt was evident on Henry's face and in an instant Barry knew he had said the wrong thing out of anger. "I didn't mean… I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that."

"Hadn't been around," Henry mumbled softly, pursing his lips. "I hadn't been around to teach you how to drive, or take you to look at colleges. But I've done everything in my power to know who you are. Barry, I don't want to take anything from you _. I believe in you._ This isn't about my not believe in you."

"I know that. And I'm fine. Okay?" Barry said. "Thank you, thank you very much for worrying about me. I love you, Dad, but I'm fine." Barry moved forward and embraced his father in a tight hug, patting him on the back as though to reassure him.

"Come on, let's get to work."

* * *

Barry and Sophia had decided that one would keep an eye out on the city whilst the other went and got some rest, as not to tire them all out. Barry had suggested she go home and get some rest seeing as though he had more energy than she did after their long night, pressing a kiss to her lips and sending her off. Though the thought was out of love it was lost because only an hour after she had fallen asleep she had been awoken with the loud ringing of her mobile.

Sliding her hand across to her bedside table, her hand grabbing the air until it found her phone she picked it up, answering it with a groan.

"Hello," She spoke with a sleepy voice.

"Soph," Barry said. "I know you were sleeping but we've got a problem."

"When isn't there one," Sophia said, yawning loudly. "Where do you want me to meet you?"

"Star Labs, I'm heading down to Mercury Labs now to get the full story, but should be done by the time you get there."

"Okay, see you there."

Hanging up, she stretched before jumping in the shower to wake herself up. Once she deemed herself awake enough, which to her was just the fact that her eyes were open and she could see things, she got changed in a rush before downing a cup of chilled water from her fridge, grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl on her kitchen table to eat on the go.

Once her feet had left the ground and she had taken to the skies, it wasn't long until she had found herself back at her second home at Star Labs. When she walked in the cortex she noted that Barry hadn't arrived yet meaning he was still at Mercury Labs talking with Dr. McGee. He had sent her a text updating her on the situation with the building collapse and other suspicious activity surrounding the meta-human attack, one that was most likely the handy work of a Meta from Earth 2.

But what she hadn't expected to do was walk in on a father-daughter argument that was currently raging wildly between Harry and Jesse. Apparently Jesse had gone to Caitlin to ask her to run some more tests on her considering she had been hit by the dark matter, and though they came up fruitless, Harry had to have the final say in the matter.

"I'll leave that to you," Sophia told Caitlin as she backed off.

Just as she had said that, Barry rushed back to Star Labs, appearing in front of the desks in the middle of the cortex.

"Hey, you," Sophia greeted. "Where's Cisco and Henry?"

"They're both helping Dr. McGee with something at Mercury Labs. They're trying to come up with some tech that will counteract the Meta's abilities."

"Sounds like a plan," Sophia said. She was about to ask him some more questions to clarify the whole situation when an emergency alarm sounded from the computer, big red signs flying onto the screen with a flashing light.

"What is that?" Jesse asked.

"It's the CCPD," Sophia said, clicking on the alert, her heart dropping into her chest when she saw what it was for. "It's Zoom." She looked up to see the contemplation on Barry's face, her hand reaching up to stop him, his name tumbling off her lips but he was already gone.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Sophia cursed.

"Where did he go?" Jesse asked.

"After Zoom! I'm not fast enough to keep up with them, not when they're on the run like this," Sophia said. Harry and Caitlin had now joined them as well, all of them eagerly looking at the computer screen as they watched the dots move in and out on the map of Central City.

* * *

Barry knew that Sophia would kick his ass for his impulsivity later, but he had to do it. He couldn't let Zoom go, not now. He chased the black speedster across the length of the entire city, running in and out of traffic on the sidewalk, up tall streamlined skyscrapers, and even across the water, their feet skimming the surface, leaving the water splashing up into the air in their wake until finally they arrived at what looked like Hunter's childhood home.

"You know, I never saw the crime photos of my mother's murder. Well, I guess I didn't need to," Zoom said, ripping off the hood of his suit, Barry following in action. "I had a ringside seat while you got whisked away. Too delicate, I suppose."

Zoom then ran out of the house and Barry followed, hot on his tail as they whizzed around in the city before coming to a sharp stop in an alleyway near the centre of the city, then running off again before stopping at the final destination at Barry's lab at the CCPD.

"Not just a hologram after all, are you, Flash?" Zoom questioned as he walked forward. "Interesting."

"I know you didn't call me here just to banter," Barry said. "Let's finish this. Right now."

"Actually, I did. I called you up here to tell you, you can't keep running from one Meta to the next. Around and around, like a dog chasing its tail."

"I'll do whatever it takes to stop you."

"If only that were good enough. Cause here's the thing. _I know you._ I know you, I know what's holding you back," Hunter spoke as though they were old friends and he was giving Barry advice. "You and me… we're really just the same person."

"Yeah, you keep saying that, but it's not gonna make it true."

"You'll see. We are. Same tragic background. Same reason for running. Same desire to be the fastest, to be the best. The difference?" Hunter asked. "You think your anger is dirty somehow. You want to be seen as pure, _the hero._ " He scoffed. " _Doesn't it get exhausting, Barry!_ It was exhausting playing Jay, believe me. I'm not pretending."

A loud roar from the ground echoed and with the turn of his head Barry could see a building across in the distance begin to quiver, windows shattering and metal beams collapsing. He clenched his fist as he watched it begin to fall, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop it from happening.

"Now if it were me, I'd let that building tumble without a second thought. But you, you'll never let that happen, will you? That's why I'm gonna beat you, Barry. Because you always have to be the hero," Zoom said, a sinister grin on his lips. "And while you're playing the good little boy… I'll be busy winning."

"We can't let Zoom destroy another building. We need to take him down. Now," Barry practically growled as he paced in the Cortex. He was lucky that it was a developmental complex meaning that no one had been in it at the time, but the destruction and damage was permanent, and they couldn't let this continue.

"And how do you propose we do that with an army of Meta-humans laying waste to Central City? We couldn't stop Zoom on my Earth. _What makes us different_?"

" _We're a team_. We start with the Meta's, they're his armour. We take them down first, then Zoom's more vulnerable," Barry said simply.

"Barry, we don't even know how many of his minions there are," Caitlin said.

"There could be hundreds, a thousand," Iris pitched in, rubbing the side of her head at the news. She was getting a headache from it all.

"And all of them, they're all working with different powers. It could take weeks to track them all down."

"We don't have weeks," Sophia said. "So far we're doing pretty well but we need to up our game, we need to come up with a way to stop them all at once, maybe that way we can focus our efforts on Zoom," She suggested.

"Again? _How_?" Harry asked exasperatedly.

"Cisco, your goggles, your camera, they didn't work on Earth-2 right?" Barry asked.

"Yeah, it was a whole different frequency," Cisco said, tilting his head up from the computer to look at Barry.

"And the way you took down the Time Wraiths that was based on frequency. Hartley's entire shtick…" Barry trailed off, an idea beginning to brew.

"I think I know where you're going, and I like it. So basically, we create some vibrational tech that can take down the Earth-2 Meta's, all at once."

"Basically," Barry said with a grin.

"I like it," Harry said with a nod.

"I'll help," Caitlin offered.

" _Gotcha_."

"I'll let you know if I hear anything from CCPN," Iris said, slipping her arms through her forest green coat.

"Thank you," Barry said.

"You're welcome." Iris waved goodbye as she left the room.

"Hey, Barry can I talk to you for a second?" Joe asked.

Sophia watched as Barry followed Joe into another room to talk privately and wondered what they were discussing. She was quickly drawn out of those thoughts when she saw Caitlin suddenly yell out at the air.

"Cait, hey," Sophia called out, rushing over to her side. "Hey, hey, it's just me," Sophia said holding her hands out in front of her when Caitlin lashed out. "Breathe, you need to breathe." Caitlin's chest rose and fell rapidly, but with more soothing and instruction from Sophia to take deep breaths and count them before inhaling and exhaling she was doing much better.

Caitlin calmed down a little bit more, squeezing her eyes closed to maintain a presence in the now, and not be thwarted by her memories of the past. "You're okay, all right? You're shaking."

"I… I thought I saw him… Zoom," Caitlin said. "I thought saw him right there."

"It's just me, okay? Look at me, he's not here."

"I see him everywhere." Caitlin shuddered.

"I know I don't understand what you're going through right now, but this is a normal reaction that survivors of trauma go through. You were kidnapped, you're going to be feeling anxious and showing signs of PTSD, but we can get through it Caitlin," Sophia said. "You're strong, and I know that you can get through it."

"I'm just so scared. I'm afraid all the time. I don't think I can ever move forward," She whispered in a soft voice. "It's so different to when I lost Ronnie. It's worse."

"You can. _You will_. You're Caitlin Snow. You can do this."

"Jay took everything from me. My confidence, my trust, my sanity. I don't think I'll ever be whole again."

Sophia rubbed her back soothingly and brought her into a hug, resting her head on her shoulder. "Of course you will, Cait. I'll be here with you every step of the way," Sophia promised.

* * *

"Stealing is illegal, you know," The Flash spoke, causing Wally to turn around in surprise. "Detective West tells me that you've been fighting Zoom's army on your own."

When Joe had pulled Barry aside, this had been the last thing he had expected to hear. After being taken by Zoom, and then discovering this whole new world that his father had been involved in with The Flash and Sapphire, Wally had taken it upon himself to do something about it. He had been engaging in vigilante like activities with no powers, no experience and no back-up, leaving him in a very dangerous position against the Meta's from Earth 2, so it wasn't hard to see where the concern was coming from Joe.

"Yeah," Wally said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he stood there awkwardly as he was told off by The Flash of all people, feeling slightly mortified. " _I want to help_."

"I admire what you're trying to do, but the best way to help is to just leave this to the police."

"Like you did," Wally scoffed.

"I do have powers, Wally. It's a little different," The Flash said, crossing his arms. "This isn't your fight. It's mine."

"No, it's all of ours. This is my city too. It's up to all of us to protect it."

"Barry, we got a major meta-human alert at 5th and Main, get there… Sophia's already on route," Cisco announced through Barry's comm.

"5th and Main, got it," Barry replied before then turning his attention back to Wally. "We'll continue this later, I gotta run."

A whoosh later and Barry was standing on 5th and Main, the bright yellow streetlights the only source of light that dark night. The streets were empty, save two figures ahead. He recognised Sophia from the back with her suit on, this time her cape was retracted and her body was tense as she stared down someone across from her. Barry rushed to her side only to see what she was seeing and then he realised why she was in such a defensive stance.

"Laurel," Barry breathed out.

"Laurel Lance is dead," The look-alike doppelganger spoke with a chuckle. "On this Earth, anyway. Poor Black Canary. Bye-bye, birdy."

"Earth-2 Laurel," Sophia told Barry when he looked to her for clarification.

"You knew her doppelganger?" The Meta asked curiously.

"We didn't just know her, we loved her."

" _Pity_."

"So…what do I call you?" The Flash asked.

"You can call me Black Siren. Zoom mentioned that you might be showing up. If he told you what I can do, you should look more afraid," Black Siren taunted.

"And so should you."

"Tell me why did you take down Mercury Labs?" The Flash questioned.

"Because I like to watch things crumble and fall," Laurel said with a smirk. "Just like your little shadow, you'll fall too… and guess what. You're next, red."

Before either superhero could get one up on Black Siren, she let out a piercing scream, the volume on a level and pitch that practically burst their ear-drums. Sophia let out a cry of her own, crumbling to the ground as she placed her hands over her ears to try and keep the sound out but it wasn't working. She could feel warm blood trickle down from her ears onto the side of her face and when she glanced over her shoulder at her boyfriend she could see it was having a similar effect on him.

"Anything over 200 decibels will kill a human," Laurel said with the click of her tongue. "Was that too loud? Perhaps we should quiet things down a bit?" Another scream fell of her lips, this time the vibrations of her voice so harsh that Barry crashed into Sophia as soon as he stood up.

"You know the sad thing is, I think Zoom's actually afraid of you. And I didn't think he feared anything. And you, you're hardly worth the chills. How many Meta's did he send to try and kill you two?" Laurel asked, as Sophia pushed herself up off the cold ground, pulling at all the strength she had to push forward.

"Well, it's too bad. He should have just sent me because that way, you would have already been-," Laurel was cut off when Sophia stood in front of her, throwing a powerful blast of energy at her, the energy sparking off her hands, the sheer force sending Laurel crashing into a telephone box further down the street.

"You talk too much," Sophia groaned.

She didn't waste a second in moving to Barry, pulling on his arm and heaving him up as best as she could ready to get them out of there when a slick black car came speeding down the deserted road, the tires screeching as it came to stop, the door flying open.

"Get in," Wally yelled.

Sophia didn't bother asking why or the how but she helped Barry in the back before jumping into the front seat, slamming the passenger door shut. As soon as they were in, Wally changed the gears into reverse, slamming down on the accelerator as he spun the car away before driving away, leaving Laurel disorientated in the distance, and them in their getaway car.

"Thought you might need a lift," Wally said.

"Yeah, thanks," Barry replied in a stiff tone from the back, his head still reeling.

"You're welcome," Wally laughed.

"Do I honestly want to ask?" Sophia looked over at Wally who shrugged his shoulders. "Thanks for the save, Wally."

"No worries, Sophia," Wally said. "Where can I drop you guys off?"

"Star Labs will do," Sophia said before turning her attention to her boyfriend in the back. "You okay?" Sophia asked Barry.

"Yeah," Barry groaned, rubbing at his forehead.

"We need to re-evaluate our plan. Maybe some ear-plugs will do us some good?" Sophia asked, shaking her head as she leaned against the comfortable seat of Wally's car, closing her eyes as she relaxed, the wind grazing comfortably against her face as she kept the window down.

"Sounds like a plan," Barry whispered, closing his eyes as well, taking this moment to gather himself.'

* * *

"So Wally just drove on up into the thick of it?" Joe asked with his arms crossed, a stern look on his face. He was beyond upset at this point.

"Mm-hmm," Barry hummed as Caitlin cleaned the blood up from his ears after having just finished with Sophia's.

"Must have been some conversation you two had, seeing as though he did literally the opposite of what we wanted," Joe quipped, his tone laced with annoyance with both his son's. He couldn't believe that Wally had just thrown himself in danger like that and he wasn't sure what to do next about the situation.

"This I can hear," Barry complained as he poked at his ears with a sarcastic grin, and Sophia bit her lip to stop herself from laughing at him.

"It's not funny," Joe berated, crossing his arms.

"I'm sorry," Barry apologised, his eyes softening as he saw how upset Joe was.

"I'm in no laughing mood," Joe reiterated.

"Look, Joe, I tried," Barry said. "Wally's a determined kid."

"Yeah, determined to get himself killed," Joe scoffed.

"Or determined to help people," Barry said. "And be glad, or you know, the two of us wouldn't be standing here right now."

"Well, he was lucky tonight," Joe said. "I don't want to see the day when he isn't."

"We've got more than luck on our side, Joe," Barry said and Joe didn't reply and instead left the room in a huff.

Sophia wouldn't have said a word regarding the situation. It wasn't her place to put her thoughts, but Barry's last comment triggered something inside of her. She thought back over his behaviour since he came back from the Speed Force, matching it up with what he had done and said just now and there was some uncertainty that lay within her. Barry really was acting like there was nothing that could touch him, acting like they had some great power on their side, when in reality it was just them and a bunch of tired friends trying to stop some evil Meta from another universe.

"You know you're not invincible, right?" Sophia asked sitting down on the bed in the med-bay, her eyes watching Barry who rolled the sleeves of his suit up his wrist. "None of us are."

"Yes, of course, I know this," Barry laughed softly to himself. Sophia titled her head, her eyes narrowing at him. "Joe's just being overprotective, but I get it."

"Yeah, but it's like you think that nothing can touch you. Like nothing bad can get in your way. That's not true for any of us," Sophia said. "We're all vulnerable. We're not immortal."

"What are you saying?" Barry asked.

"That I think it's great that you're thinking positively. But a bit of fear is good. Fear keeps you safe, it helps you determine which risks are worth taking. But having no fear, thinking you're invincible, that's just being naïve, and we can't afford to be like that, Bar."

As Sophia walked away to grab them a drink Barry thought over her words, staring blankly at his hands as he contemplated her words. He knew he wasn't invincible. He just wanted to end Zoom and he was going to do whatever it took.

* * *

"I met your little red friend tonight," Laurel spoke, wiping away some blood from her lip. "He was less impressive than his girlfriend. She really packed a punch."

When Zoom said nothing, his tall form still facing the window of that looked out of the CCPD building, Black Siren was unsure of what to think of it.

"Aren't you going to ask me if I killed him?"

"You didn't," Zoom said. "You're good, but not that good."

"And yet I seem to be the only one of your top lieutenants still standing," She drawled, walking closer to him.

"Like I said, you're good." He turned around to face her. "So why don't you go knock down a few more buildings? _Like I ordered_."

"What's the point?" She asked. She thought it was a waste of her talents if she was being honest, not that she would voice that to him. She knew what kind of a psychopath Zoom was, and it was one that was extremely short tempered. She had enough self-preservation to know not to question his leadership even if it was pointless.

"The point is so that it seems random. That way The Flash and his merry band won't realise what I'm up to til it's too late," Zoom said, cracking his neck from side to side. If all went as planned, he would crush Barry Allen before the week was over.

"What are you up to?" Black Siren asked curiously, her eyes looking into his black eyes that radiated darkness, drawing her in closer. She mused to herself that if he wasn't such a psychopath, and didn't terrify her then she would have thought he was attractive.

"No good," Zoom smirked.

* * *

"Ow." Cisco pressed the on button again causing another groan from Harry who was currently sitting in the chair, receiving the electro shocks to make sure that the machine was working.

"Sorry."

" _Ow_!" Harry complained once more.

"There we go."

"Are you kidding me with this?" Harry asked, pushing the sides of the helmet looking thing to the side as he got up from his seat.

"Hey, at least it works," Cisco countered with the shrug of his shoulders.

"Tremendous," Harry deadpanned.

"What is it exactly?" Joe asked.

"It's just a small source of joy, but more importantly, it's how we're gonna stop Zoom's army."

"By giving them all electroshock therapy?" Joe asked with a raised brow and Cisco shook his head, holding up a finger.

"By giving them all dimensional shock therapy," Cisco corrected.

"This is where I play stupid and you explain science," Joe said.

" _Okay_. Fair enough," Cisco said. "So all matter vibrates at its own unique frequency, right? You disrupt that frequency, you disrupt the matter."

"Like how an opera singer shatters glass with her voice," Iris pondered.

" _Exactly_. So we found out that all Earth-2 people vibrate at their own, more erratic frequency."

"Higher frequency," Harry corrected.

"Different frequency," Cisco countered.

"Higher frequency than we do. _Right_. So I ran this all past Hartley, right? And he postulated that we could create a sort of dimensional tuning fork…"

"Okay, you didn't do it yourself." Harry jumped up.

"Just let me have this one, okay?" Cisco posed defensively.

"Have it, have it," Harry insisted, rolling his eyes.

" _Thank you_ ," Cisco said. "So if you run around the city fast enough to create a refracting field, the device can send out a pulse that'll bounce of it, split apart and collide with itself over and over. Amplifying it to an erratic frequency on the Earth-2…"

"Higher. Higher frequency," Harry corrected once more.

"Higher frequency on the Earth-2 spectrum. And when that pulse hits anyone from Earth-2…"

"It'll disrupt their nervous system," Caitlin said.

"Earth-2 Meta's go night-night." Cisco grinned.

"Even Zoom?" Barry asked.

" _Even_ Zoom." Cisco nodded.

"Harry and Jesse are from Earth-2. How do we keep the pulse from hurting them?" Joe asked.

"Oh, Detective. I didn't know you cared," Harry stated, a smirk on his lips as he looked at Joe.

"Yes, you did." Joe rolled his eyes.

"Uh, we designed these headphones to protect us from the pulse." Harry held up two pairs of large headphones with tech on both sides, a small blue light blinking on either side.

"Beats by Wells," Cisco joked causing Jesse to laugh.

A repetitive beep went off and they turned to look at the screen. "Cisco, it's your meta-human alert app."

"That's the high-rise development on the west side!" Joe exclaimed. "Hundreds of people live there."

"Set that pulse off right now. Allen, you need to start generating that refracting field right now," Harry instructed.

"What… all those people, _Wells_."

"I'll take care of Black Siren," Sophia said, meeting his eyes. "You get working on that refracting field."

"Be safe." Barry walked over to her and pressed a hard kiss to her lips. She pulled away with a smile, and gave him a look that said to be careful.

"You too."

* * *

"I don't think I've taken down so many buildings at once."

"Maybe you're not as powerful as you think, Siren." Sophia stood there a brave exterior hiding her nervousness. She wasn't sure about her insane idea, but Cisco seemed to think it was good and offered to help her so that was something.

"Ah, The Sapphire Knight returns, how noble of you to grace me with your presence," Black Siren spoke, the sarcasm heavy in her voice.

"I should think you were more perceptive than that, Laurel," Sophia spoke, stepping out of the dark, the light shining off the black suit she was wearing, something Cisco had thrown together in virtually minutes. It was his replication of Shadow's outfit from Earth-2 and they knew it would throw off Black Siren, giving Sophia the upper hand.

Laurel's eyes visibly widened before narrowing in on her.

"What are you doing here _Shadow_?" Laurel asked. "I thought you were dead."

"So does, Zoom," She smirked, channelling her inner Shadow. "And I'd like to keep it that way."

"What are you doing here? I should kill you," Laurel threatened.

"Before you jump the gun, you might want to hear what I have to say. I came with a proposition, an offer if you will," Sapphire said, pacing the front of the room carefully, her eyes trailing Black Siren like a tiger on the prowl.

"Go on," Laurel said, mirroring her actions as she moved around the room.

"Join me," Sophia said simply. "You don't even know how powerful you really are. With a single call, you can take down a building. Why stop there? Why serve a master when you can be a master, when you can be a god?"

"I thought you weren't that type. You always seemed like the high and mighty hero of Central City."

"That was before Zoom came onto the scene. Together, we can stop him. I think it's time there's some women in charge around here, don't you?"

Sophia knew that she had to keep Laurel talking until they got the machine running, otherwise her eardrums were toast seeing as though they hadn't come up with a way to block out the deadly sirens that feel from Laurel's lips.

"Count me in," Laurel said. "I'm sick of being taken for granted."

Just when Sophia was wracking her brain for something else to say, Laurel spoke up once more.

"Hey, catch this," Laurel threw a small metal bar that was sitting on the side to her and Sophia caught it with ease in her right hand.

"Pity, it would have been nice if Shadow really was alive. It's nice to see you again Sapphire. I take it you didn't know that doppelganger's are mirror images of themselves."

"Shadow was left handed, wasn't she," Sophia said, dumping the metal bar on the ground next to her, bringing up a shield when Laurel started wailing, the waves of energy pushing her back on her feet. "Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. Guess we'll have to do this the hard way." She moved swiftly, pushing back more energy that sent Laurel stumbling backwards. When Laurel had stopped screaming, Sophia flew head on at her, instinctively throwing kicks and punches at her, energy pulsating off her hands and into blasts that hit Laurel head on.

Laurel's body soared backwards, crashing into the ground behind her and just when she got up ready to fight, the frequency went off and Sophia watched as Laurel collapse to her knees, screaming as she covered her ears in pain.

Sophia tapped the comm. in her ear. "It's working."

She pulled out a pair of cuffs that they used to counteract Meta's abilities and grabbed Laurel's wrists, locking them on tight and picking up the now passed out doppelganger.

"Bring them all in."

"Copy that. I'm on clean up," Barry announced.

"I'm bringing Black Siren in," Sophia said. "Over and out."

It was a short flight back to Star Labs and soon enough they had secured Laurel in her very own cell in the pipeline. It wasn't long til she woke up from her unconscious state and she was viciously yelling, her powers doing little to nothing to get her out of the cage she was in.

They had rounded up over thirty Meta's and it was insane but they were glad they had done it in the end.

Sophia stuck her hands into the pockets of her jeans, watching from the background where Cisco was settling Laurel in her cell.

"What's that? I can't… I can't hear you through the double-paned soundproof glass," Cisco said. "It's kind of hard to make out what you're saying." Cisco pressed a button on the screen and turned the handle, sending her cell back and into the pipeline, locking her up for good.

"So… should we tell Sara and Captain Lance about her?" Caitlin asked.

"No, I've seen what interacting with your family's doppelganger's can do," Barry said. "It's not even Laurel."

"Hey, you doing okay?" Sophia asked Caitlin.

"No. But I think I'm gonna be. Being out there with you guys, fighting meta-humans, saving people… it's the first time I felt normal in a long time," Caitlin said, a smile growing on her face.

"Come here." Barry laughed and then pulled Sophia and Caitlin into his arms on either side, giving them both a tight hug.

"This is a group hug moment, clearly."

Cisco then jumped in as well, the four friends holding onto each other tight.

"I know I don't say it nearly enough but I love you guys, you're my family," Sophia confessed, her face nuzzling into Barry's side from where she stood.

"We love you too."

* * *

A new day had dawned and Barry was feeling lighter than ever. Most of the Meta's they had captured were resting in Iron Heights, the more dangerous ones in their cells in the pipeline, but all was well. They had even been informed by some of the Meta's that they captured that Zoom had created his own breach, escaping to Earth-2 as not to be taken down, leaving them with no way of tracking the speedster. Barry hoped this meant that their battle would soon be over.

"Listen, uh, I've been thinking about Wally some more," Barry told Joe.

"Are you gonna talk to him again?" Joe asked.

"No, I'm not."

"Why not?" Joe frowned.

"Because he's your son, Joe."

"I know he's my son," Joe deadpanned.

"What I mean is he's got your values. He's got your inner drive to help people do what's right. We're supposed to think we're something we're not until we become that thing," Barry explained, "That's the path that Wally's on. I'm not gonna stop him from being the hero that he's gonna become. I really don't think you should either."

"I can't wait til you have kids and they torture you. Imma laugh in your face." Joe's head shook with mirth, and Barry let out a hearty laugh as Joe punched him playfully.

"All right, _gramps_."

"Poppa."

"What?" Barry asked turning around and stopping on the spot.

"My grandkids are gonna call me _Poppa_."

"All right," Barry laughed walking away.

* * *

The rest of the day had been spent at work, filing last minute police reports, and helping out cleaning up the place after the destruction that Zoom had placed on the city. He wished that he could have spent the day with Sophia, but she too was at work, and promised to meet him later that night for a celebratory drink at the West household before going home.

"I'd say it's been a successful day," Sophia said pressing a kiss to his lips as Barry walked through the door, Henry following behind.

"Hey, Henry."

"Hey, Kiddo." Henry gave her a hug before entering the dining room, grabbing a drink from Joe who was offering.

"It's been great, but I think I could use with more alone time, you know, just the two of us," Barry grinned, sticking his hands in the pocket of his dark-washed jeans, a goofy smile on his lips as he watched Sophia take a step towards him, admiring the floral dress she was wearing that suited her very well.

"Well, we have the rest of the night, the after party you know," Sophia teased, a lustrous glint in her eye as she moved to press one last chaste kiss to his lips before escaping to the kitchen to help Iris grab some food out of the oven.

As he predicted, drinks were great and there was laughter that hung in the air that hadn't for such a long time and he was happy to see that everyone was on the road to recovery, even Jesse and Wells who seemed to be getting along better than they had previously. He was glad that they had sorted out their issues, after all, family was the most precious thing.

"Cheers," Joe said, raising his glass as Iris and Sophia placed the last dishes on the table. "Cheers to family, friends and some fine wine," Joe laughed, taking a large sip.

"Cheers," Everyone said in unison.

They were just about to sit down and take a seat at the table when the room trembled from the force of the speed that the villain entered with. Unexpectedly Zoom came running into the room, with gloved hand now gripping Henry's neck, leaving the man gasping for air as he clawed at the hand that held him captive. Barry shot up from where he was leaning with anger and panic across his face.

"Our story continues, Flash," Zoom said.

"Henry!" Sophia yelled out. Her hand had already shot out, a wave of energy headed towards Zoom but he was gone before it could hit him, instead crashing into a glass mantle that hung in the hallway.

"Oh my god," Iris breathed as Barry rushed out of there in a second flat, not caring that he had just exposed his identity to Wally.

"No, no, no" Sophia cursed, the anxiety rising in her chest. "Not again." She turned to Cisco with pleading eyes, hoping he would have a solution.

"Cisco, I'm going after them, can you track Barry's location?" She didn't have her suit but none of that mattered. Not when she knew what was coming next. Her eyes lit up a bright blue with fury, unable to control her anger.

"I can't, they're moving too fast. You won't be able to catch up." Sophia didn't care and instead flew out of the house at a violent speed, the door shaking on its hinges from the force of the wind as she left.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Barry felt like he had never run faster in his life trying to keep up with Zoom, he could feel the blood pounding in his ears, adrenaline coursing through him as the anxiety settled in his stomach. He couldn't let anything happen to his dad. _Not his dad_.

"Dad? _Dad_?!" Barry yelled out as he came to a stop at the front door of his childhood home, where he saw Zoom enter just a moment prior.

Zoom came forward once more, the light shining on one side of his face, leaving the rest of him hidden in the shadows.

"It's poetic, returning to your childhood home."

"Jay. _Don't do this!_ I'm begging you. I'm begging you! Take me," Barry pleaded, his hands in the air reaching out for his father. "Kill me!" Barry yelled.

"No!" Zoom's voice bellowed, but all Barry could see was his father's pained face as Zoom held him in his clutches. Tears of frustration were forming in Barry's eyes and he shook his head, pleading for Zoom to show mercy.

"You still won't believe that you and I are the same. Come on," Zoom said.

"Barry, look at me, son." Henry tried to distract Barry from what was about to happen, but he knew that his son wasn't going to have it.

"So I'm gonna have to make you believe me," Zoom threatened.

"Whatever happens you have made me the happiest father…" Henry trailed off. He had to let Barry know that he loved him. Barry's breathing was getting heavier and he felt dizzy, his eyes darting back and forth between his dad and Zoom.

"Dad…" Barry's voice cracked with emotion, moving forward to save his father, but Zoom pulled them further back into the room, one of his hands phasing in the air besides Henry's head. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest, and he knew that this was like his mother all over again.

"This time, you're gonna watch your parent die just like I did," Zoom yelled.

"No, no! _Please! I'm begging you!_ "

"And this is what's gonna make you just like me!"

"Your mother and I love you…" Henry whispered, his eyes not leaving his sons, knowing it would be the last vision he would see on this Earth.

"Jay!"

" _No_!" An unearthly scream left Barry's lips as Zoom's hand phased through his father's chest, killing him instantaneously. Barry ran forward catching his father in his arms as Zoom moved back, cradling Henry in his arms.

" _Dad_! No!" Henry's eyes fluttered closed one last time as he took his last breath, and then… he was gone. "Dad!"

Before his very eyes, he watched as Zoom murdered his father in cold blood. He watched as the life escaped the grey eyes of the man that raised him, the man that was his own flesh and blood. The man he loved so dearly.

But what was done was now in the past, and there was no way of changing the events of that night.

Henry Allen was dead, and Barry's world had come crashing down in flames.

* * *

 **A / N –** Okay, so I re-watched this episode to get more detail for the chapter and I bawled my eyes out like a baby. Grant act's so well, I was honestly crying the entire time.

And who is excited for chapter 24? _IT'S THE LAST ONE._

I'm excited to get this story wrapped up and the next one started! Flashpoint here we come!

P.s. I think I will be naming the next story Flashpoint Paradox… or something of similar nature, hopefully when I get the last chapter out I'll have a name, and some more details for you all!

And again, a big thanks to all the new faves/follows. You guys are amazing and I can't believe this story has more reviews than the first one. I'm going through a difficult time right now and to see these reviews honestly is so amazing, I can't put it into words. I love you all so much!

 **Reviews:**

 **Twitchie1990** : thank you for the review, love that you are enjoying the story so much that you read it so quickly!

 **Turtlekier42** : Thanks love! It was really sad and this one isn't as bad, but the next chapter is GUT wrenching. HAHAH YOU THOUGHT. Don't worry, you will all get a nice surprise on that front for flashpoint! It's already in the planning.

 **Guest 3** : HOT DAMN indeed. I am so glad you liked it, here's more action stuff, it was so fun to write. SAME. I love writing them so much. Thank you for the review loyal reader!

 **Gossamermouse101** : Guess whose back, back again! Barry's back, tell yo friends. HAHA. That was an attempt at me being comedic, and it failed but thank you for the review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

 **xXAlyaIsMyBaeXx** : HEY GIRL! I haven't seen you reviewing for a while, it's nice to see you back! I am so glad that you liked it, and omg everyone thought Barry was gonna propose and he didn't, how rude of him, am I right ladies? But don't worry as I said to another reader, we'll all be very happy next story! *wink wink* I'll stop teasing now, but thank you for the review.

 **Guest 2** : It is in the planning process now, and depending how much stuff I can come up with and what ideas hit me, flashpoint will probably run over maybe 2 or 3 chapters, it all depends, but it looks like it'll be around 2 chapters at this point in time. But the repercussions will last the entire season, and we'll see some new exciting characters introduced into the mix!

 **Kingdom Hearts Slayer** : SAME! I am writing it as we speak and the ideas ar G. The third story is gonna be pretty epic… well… I hope it is anyway. Thanks for the love and reviews, you're amazing!

 **Beachgirlsrule** : Thank you love! I am so so glad! Awww you can always try girl, that's how I started! Hope you enjoyed this chapter too! Only one more left til this story is over.

 **Rebelforcauses** : THANK YOU, I'M SCREAMING FROM YOUR REVIEW! We're nearly finished with this sequel oh my god!

 **ImsebastianstanButter** : Thank you!

 **Guest 1** : Thank you! Those words make me cry so much, I am so glad. It takes so much time and effort to write these stories and to see all the love is amazing. AAWWW. She would hug you back and literally become your best friend. I am so glad, hope you enjoy this one as well!

 **RHatch89** : Thank you my loyal reviewer!

Til next time.

Heroherondale.


	24. The Final Race

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

In a dazed panic, Sophia had thrown all caution into the wind and flown recklessly into the city to locate Barry. Cisco could only let her know that they had briefly stopped at Barry's childhood home in the inner northern suburbs of Central City, giving her a destination.

In a rush she landed, tumbling through the front door that was already half open, her eyes darting around wildly to see what had happened, only to land on the still body of Henry Allen who was laying on the wooden floors of the living room. The world around her froze and she felt nauseous at the sight of his lifeless body.

"Oh my god," She gasped, tears springing to her eyes as she rushed forward to Henry. Immediately her eyes were drawn to the deep red blood stain that was expanding across his chest, a mighty hole as though he had been pierced through the heart. She was sure this was the case, and it made her want to empty her stomach at the sight.

Zoom killed him. He killed Henry. Her hands were shaking as she kneeled down next to his body, her heart pounding wildly in her chest with anxiety and sorrow.

" _Henry_ ," Sophia called his name, but received no response. Her hands fumbled to find a pulse in his neck, on his wrist, anywhere but nothing. His lips had already started to turn blue from the lack of oxygen left in his blood, and there was an emptiness in his eyes that she knew all too well meant that he had died. "God, no," She began crying. "I'm so sorry, Henry."

She told herself she had to get herself together, she couldn't imagine how Barry was feeling right now. She needed to be there for him. Sophia stood up and moved away from Henry's body, but not before gently closing his eyelids, and placing his hands by his side the way she did for all her patients she had lost.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and speed dialled Cisco. "Cisco, any updates?"

"Nothing, they're still running around the city, only stopping momentarily but then they're off again," Cisco said. "What happened? Did you find anything at the house?"

"H-Henry, he's dead," Sophia said her voice cracking. "I-I'm going to bring his body back to Star Labs. We can- I don't know, Cisco. I don't know what to do," Sophia said but suddenly the phone had been pulled away from her and standing in front of her was Barry.

The hood of his suit was pulled off, revealing red eyes, flushed cheeks and tear streaks staining his face. His nose was tinted pink, and his lips too, swollen from crying, from biting down on them in anger.

"Barry's with me." She quickly said into the phone before hanging up. She opened her arms, moving forward, holding him tight against her as he wept, his body racking with anguished sobs. She didn't know how they got to leaning on the floor, on their knees and crying but she held him against her chest, running her fingers through his hair softly. He clung to her like she was his lifeline holding her tighter than he had ever before.

"I'm so sorry, my love," Sophia whispered as he collapsed in her arms, the tortured cries breaking her heart.

"H-He's gone. Both of them are gone," Barry choked out and she knew. Oh god she knew what he meant. She felt like it was some out of body experience. How could someone be so cruel like Zoom? She still didn't understand. There was no humanity left inside of him, nothing at all. Sophia pressed a kiss to Barry's forehead, rubbing his back soothingly as she silently cried along with him, his arms holding onto her tight and she reassured him that she wouldn't let him go, that she was there, and that he was safe and that's all they could hope for at this point in time.

"I know honey, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She didn't know what else to say so she just held him, softly repeating the same words over and over as though they would ease the pain.

Not even minutes later Cisco, Harry and Joe turned up at the scene in shock, but they kept themselves together. Joe struggled the most, and tears were falling from his eyes but he knew he had to help them move the body. He placed a kiss on Barry's head and squeezed his hand before helping Cisco and Harry carefully wrap Henry's body in a white sheet, lifting him up and placing him in the Star Labs van on a stretcher. That left Sophia to take care of her boyfriend who was a torn apart mess, praying that this wouldn't break him.

* * *

Ice cold droplets of rain poured down over the nine figures that stood in front of Henry's coffin, the dewdrops rolling off the black umbrellas. Adorned in a black suit and tie was Barry clutching onto his girlfriend's hand for support as she stood next to him under the umbrella wearing a black dress and coat to keep the cold out. It had been a mission to get out of bed, and get changed, and if it wasn't for her he would still be laying there in his own tears and misery.

A beautiful arrangement of pearl white and lavender flowers were placed upon Henry's coffin, and those standing around it listened quietly and politely as religious words were spoken at the funeral. Though it was a sad day, the words were comforting and they were a goodbye to Henry as he moved on from this life to the next. Sophia may have not been the most religious person out there, but she could resonate with the words, and it made her feel at ease, giving her hope for the future. The only thing that she was grateful for now was the fact that Henry was no longer in pain, that he wasn't suffering… he was at peace. But as her father had once told her, funerals aren't for the dead, they're for the living.

"And comfort us today with the word of your promise as we return our brother to the earth, and leave us with the hope that, one day, we'll meet again."

Sophia closed her eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath to gather herself. As upset as she wanted to be, she knew she had to compartmentalise her emotions to be there to support Barry. She had lost her mother as a young girl and the pain still resided within her, and she couldn't imagine the way that Barry was feeling right now. He had lost both of his parents last night, both because of villains that were no good in this world.

Barry then looked at Sophia, squeezing her hand as he moved forward, copying his movements and walking with him.

"Um… my father's…" Barry's voice as hoarse as he began to speak, but soon he lost the ability to do so. "I can't do this right now."

"It's okay, Bar," Sophia said, her eyes darting to Joe who nodded, moving in their place to stand in front of Henry's coffin, delivering a heartfelt speech.

"Henry Allen," Joe said, biting on the inside of his cheek to keep his own tears at bay. "Henry suffered two great losses in his life. He lost his wife, Nora, and he lost Barry. He suffered guilt, embarrassment, ridicule, shame and everything that comes with being blamed for a crime he didn't commit," Joe said. "Henry Allen was proof that love can get you through the darkest of days, and that love will keep him alive in all of our hearts."

" _Amen_ ," Sophia whispered, a tear free falling down her cheek.

"Amen."

Sophia could sense that Barry wanted a moment with his father, as he started to fidget a little. She moved out from under their umbrella to stand by Iris, letting go of Barry's hand gently after placing a kiss on the back of his hand.

Barry walked to stand in front of his father's coffin, leaning down til he was on the same level. "I'm gonna find him, Dad," Barry whispered, placing one hand atop of the coffin. "I promise you I'm gonna take from him what he took from you." His words were heavy, but they were true. He would avenge his father, no matter what it took.

After the funeral, Sophia and Barry sat in silence in the back of Joe's car as they drove back to the West household. She knew that now wasn't the time for words, so she held his hand, rubbing soft circles with the pad of her thumb on his hand, letting him know that she was there.

Upon arrival they were hit with the warm aroma home-cooked comfort food, calming candles lighting up the room. Caitlin, Iris and Cisco had been kind enough to cook some comfort food and set up a little gathering to pay respects to Henry.

"Hey," Wally greeted as they walked in, taking Sophia's coat and hanging it up on the rack. It was nice and toasty inside the house after Iris had turned on the heater and lit a few candles, setting a calming mood to the area. It was what they all needed after their cold and dreary morning out in the graveyard.

"Hey, Wally."

"I'm just gonna grab a drink, do you want anything, Barry?" Sophia asked but received a no in response. She gave him a tight lipped smile, unsure of what else to do and hoped that maybe talking to Wally a little would help him come out of his shell. She gave him a kiss on his cheek, her hand lingering as he looked into her eyes and she gave him a look that she hoped conveyed that she was there for him before leaving Wally and him to talk.

"I thought maybe you should eat something," Wally said, bringing over a plate of food, placing it down on the coffee table.

"I'm not hungry," Barry replied stiffly, avoiding Wally's gaze. When he heard the sigh from the younger West he let out one of his own, his tense shoulders relaxing a little. "Thank you, though," He added at the end hoping it was an apology enough for being so stiff. He wasn't in the mood for conversation.

"Yeah." Wally stuck his hands in his pockets feeling awkward. "Barry, um… I had no idea that you were The Flash. What you did for me, all the things that you've done for everyone, this whole city… and now this with your dad and Zoom," Wally said. "I'm so sorry."

"Thanks, Wally."

"If there's anything you need, just say the word."

"All right," Barry said, giving him a nod before walking over to the table where Sophia was sitting down next to Cisco, sipping on her glass of water.

"Guys, Zoom's still out there," Barry said as he stood at the head of the table. Trying not to remember how it had just been last night that they stood there with his father, ready to enjoy a meal. He glanced away for a moment, composing himself before looking back at the team who looked to him for guidance and their next move.

Sophia looked up in surprise at the sound of his voice and Barry felt guilty for being so silent earlier, but he just didn't have the energy or the heart to talk. The entire night before all he had done was cry in her arms before he fell asleep and even then it wasn't long til he woke up again, only to repeat it all over again. "We need to come up with a plan."

"The man can crack open breaches to Earth-2. I mean, if he can do that, what else can he do that we don't know about?" Cisco asked.

"Right after he killed his time remnant, he told me I was almost ready," Barry said.

"Almost ready for what?" Sophia asked, a frown on her face. She didn't like the sound of it.

"I don't know," Barry said.

" _Yep_. Classic psychopath. Why can't they ever just say what they want to do?" Cisco asked. "We also have to figure out why I keep vibing Earth-2 being ripped to shreds. Seriously. It's like I'm watching Transformers in 4D but, like, ten times more realistic and with much better acting."

"If you can vibe the future, we need to stop Zoom before that happens."

"I'm gonna get some air, all right?" Barry was out of the house before anyone could say anything.

"I got it," Sophia said standing up, grabbing her jacket of the back of the coat hanger and slipping her arms in it. She walked out the front door, closing it behind her and then taking a seat next to Barry on the steps of the house. It was dark out, but the streetlight illuminated the front patio enough for her to see Barry.

"Hey."

"Hey," Barry breathed out, rubbing his face before looking at his girlfriend, so grateful that he had her in his life right now.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked him.

"When I was in the Speed Force, I felt like I'd finally come to grips with her death, with not saving her when I went back. And then the moment… where I'm finally at the place I can move on, my father's taken from me," Barry said. "How am I ever supposed to find peace with that?"

She turned to him, taking his face in her hands gently, wiping away the tears that marked his face. She wanted to so desperately take away his pain and suffering but there was nothing she could do now to change the past. "I don't know, Barry, but you're gonna find a way to be at peace again, I'll be here alongside you to make sure that happens. Otherwise if you let it build up inside of you, it's gonna tear you apart," Sophia brought her warm hands down to hold onto his.

"I just miss him so much already," Barry admitted.

"You just lost him, its normal. I know it's hard, but it gets easier with time. I promise." Sophia said, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Just when Sophia was about to suggest that Barry come inside and get something to eat to make him feel a little better, Zoom appeared on the scene.

"Bad time, Flash?" Zoom taunted as he stood on the grass out front of the West's.

A powerful blast of energy shot from both of Sophia's hands out towards Zoom, but he moved out of the way too fast.

"How dare you," She growled, eyes ablaze with colour as moved to go after him, but Barry caught her wrist, pulling her back.

"Soph," Barry warned. "Leave him to me."

Unwillingly she backed down, moving behind him as he stepped forward to see what Zoom wanted. She would have gone after Zoom in a heartbeat, and the murderous rage that was rushing through her blood would have aided her in attacking him, but knowing that Barry's father had just died at his hands, and that he couldn't do anything to save him made her re-think her actions.

"Thought I'd give you some time to mourn," Zoom said.

"This ends now," Barry declared.

"Not yet," Zoom said with the shake of his head. "There's always more to take, Barry." He chuckled darkly, eyes focusing in on Sophia who was standing behind Barry.

"You're gonna stay away from them," Barry warned, standing protectively in front of Sophia. He wasn't going to let Zoom touch a hair on her head.

"Well, that's completely up to you."

"What?" Barry asked, confused as to what Zoom meant.

"When we first met, I told you that Zoom needed to be the best," He said, pulling of his hood allowing them to see his face, but the very sight made Sophia sick to her stomach. "You just didn't realize I was talking about myself."

"Is that what this is about?" Barry asked, the disgust heavy on his words. His eyes were wild as he stared at Hunter incredulously. His father had died because of this psychopath and the very thought of crushing him where he stood was all that ran through Barry's mind in that moment but he contained his emotions knowing that he couldn't throw all caution to the wind.

"A race, Barry, between you and me… to see who's the fastest. You win, this is over, and you get to be the hero," Hunter said.

"I'm not racing you."

"Then your father won't be the only person you love that I'll take from you," Hunter said, his eyes moving to stare at Sophia head on but she wasn't scared, not of him. "Think about it, Flash. All I want to know is who the fastest man alive on either world is. _I'll be waiting_."

* * *

After the surprise appearance of Zoom, Barry informed the team and they were quick to leave the West household and move back to Star Labs to further assess the situation presented to them. Sophia felt nauseous the entire flight over, Zoom's threat looming over her head like a loaded gun. She knew that she could protect herself against him, but if he went after their friends, after those who could not defend themselves? She didn't know what she would do, and she could see why Barry was so on edge about it all. He had just lost his father and he didn't want to lose anyone else that was close to him, not if he could stop it, and so that's why he told the team once they had gathered, that he would be racing Zoom.

"So… Zoom wants to race you?"

"He's obsessed with being the best." Barry nodded.

"Why would we trust him?" Joe asked.

"He just wants to race," Barry said, shrugging his shoulders. He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it up out of pure nerves more than anything else. "That's all he said. He said if I don't race, then he's going to come after all of you, everyone that I care about."

"You know, it actually makes sense in a completely-off-your-rocker sort of way," Cisco mused.

"That can't be everything he wants."

"It isn't. The magnetar that's being developed by Mercury Labs… turns out it can act as a pulsar," Cisco informed them.

" _Whoa_."

"What is a pulsar?" Iris asked, turning to look at the screen where Cisco had pulled up a diagram and image of the device.

"It's a power amplifier with a highly magnetized, dense rotating core that can easily be weaponised," Cisco read off the research article they had been provided by Dr. McGee.

" _Nah_ , that's not dangerous at all," Iris said sarcastically.

"That's what happens to Earth-2," Cisco said suddenly realising what it meant. "What happens in my vibes is because of this machine."

"That thing is powerful enough to destroy a planet?"

"A lot more than just a planet, if it has the right power source," Harry clarified.

"This sounds like a bad version of the Death Star," Sophia mumbled, earning a hum of agreement from Cisco.

"Like me," Barry suddenly realised that he was the power source. "That's why he wants to race. He wants to siphon the energy I create when I run."

"He wants to siphon the energy off both of you," Caitlin spoke up. "When Jay captured me, he said that he used to measure his success by counting the number of victims he had, but now he was gonna measure it by counting the number of Earths he conquered instead."

"He doesn't want to just destroy Earth-2, he wants to take out every other planet in the multiverse."

"How many are there?" Joe asked.

"Infinite."

"Yeah, well, he can do that?" Joe raised a brow.

"If he can create a breach to Earth-2 all on his own… he can get to all of em. One pulse to destroy them all…"

"Is there a way that I can maybe, I don't know, absorb that energy that they build up so that he can't use it?" Sophia asked, biting down on her lip in worry.

"Theoretically, yes, but no human can hold that amount of energy and survive, it would overload you…" Harry trailed off.

"It would kill you," Caitlin finished, a solemn look on her face.

"Guess that's off the table."

"It was never on the table," Barry spoke up causing Sophia to purse her lips in frustration but with the look on Barry's face she knew that he wasn't going to have it, and she wasn't going to argue. He had just lost his father and there was no way he was losing her as well. "I guess I don't have a choice. I have to race him," Barry said, turning around. "And I have to win."

The rest of the team got to discussing further strategies while Joe pulled Barry aside in the hallway just outside the cortex.

"Bar, don't race him," Joe pleaded, fearing for what the outcome would be. He too was filled with sorrow and anguish at the death of his friend, and he knew it would take a while to come to terms with Henry's death for all of them, especially Barry, but if there was one thing that he knew for sure, it was that racing Zoom was not the way.

"It's not that easy," Barry countered.

"Yes, it is. You just say no. We find another way to stop him, together, like we always do."

"And do what, Joe? Just sit around and wait for him to kill somebody else? _Sophia_? Wally? Iris? You?" Barry asked incredulously, throwing his hands in the air to further prove his point. "I can't do that. I can't let someone else I love die."

"He needs you, Bar. He needs your speed again to get what he wants. We have the advantage here. All I have to do is beat him, Joe," Barry said. "That saves the multiverse, this whole city, all of you. I won't let another person I love die when I can prevent it."

"This isn't just about racing Zoom, is it?" Joe asked. "You want to kill this guy."

"Of course I want to kill him, Joe. I want to do a hell of a lot more than just kill him. I want him to suffer for everything that he's done."

"And he's going to. Come on, Bar. Think about what you're saying."

"I have to be willing to do whatever it takes. I'm sorry but I'm racing him, whether you want me to or now."

"And I can't talk you out of it?" Joe asked.

"Not this time," Barry said.

"Then I'm sorry too," Joe apologised, a sensitive look overcoming his face.

But before Barry could inquire as to what Joe was apologising for, a sharp object jabbed him in the back of his neck and before he could protest he collapsed to the ground, darkness encompassing his vision.

* * *

Barry gasped, finding himself awake and locked in a cell in the pipeline. He pushed himself up and off the floor of the cell and moved to the door only to see his friends, his team standing on the other side of the glass, most of them avoiding eye contact. His mouth felt dry, and his head a bit fuzzy from whatever drug they had injected into him, but it was clearing up faster than he had anticipated.

"What are you doing?" Barry asked as he pushed his hand against the glass as though it would open the door. "Why did you put me in here?"

"Because you're too angry right now. You can't race him like that."

"Without a plan, you're… you'll lose."

"Keeping me in here is gonna get everyone killed. I'm the only one that can stop him, you know that." Barry's voice carried tones of rage and it wasn't doing much to help his case. He clenched his jaw as he received nothing but guilty looks in response.

"Not the only one," Joe spoke up, his eyes darting to Sophia who looked extremely uncomfortable from where she stood at the back, wringing her hands in uncertainty.

"Sophia, you can't take Zoom down on your own! It's too dangerous!" Barry protested.

"I know, I don't plan too, but… I don't know…" If she was being honest with herself she didn't agree when what they were doing. But they had pitched her a plan and the pressure had settled in, and she had agreed with the thought of protecting Barry. She knew how angry he had become with the Reverse-Flash and this was worse. She wasn't ready to lose Barry because Zoom wanted to do something as trivial as race. They all knew that if Barry didn't win that race that he would be dead. They would all be dead. So she had gone along with their plan and hoped that it would work.

"Soph, let me out. You know better than anyone here that we have to take him down together," Barry said with pleading eyes that broke her heart. "You can't do this alone. Please, let me out."

"I-I can't do this, Joe," Sophia stuttered, walking away from the scene, stopping in the hallway with her head buried in her hands, trying to manage her anxiety and rid herself of the image of Barry's pleading eyes. His father had just died and here she was, betraying his trust, going against him because she thought she was doing the right thing.

"You race Zoom on his own terms, you'll lose."

"This is not your decision to make!" Barry yelled, banging his fist on the glass of the cell window.

"It is this time," Joe said sternly.

"No," Barry whispered.

"We all made it together."

"What? All of you?"

"Bro, I went back and forth. I was, like, a good 60/40 at first," Cisco said, trying to lighten the mood but it didn't do any good. He looked down at his feet, scuffing his shoes on the ground awkwardly.

"Ramon," Harry berated.

"Yeah, yeah, we all made the decision," Cisco said.

"Don't do this. Guys, come on. Iris? Joe?"

"Cisco, come on, man. You have to let me… You have to let me stop him!" Cisco pressed the button on the cell pushing it back into the pipeline, the large door closing leaving the room in silence.

"Well that sucked majorly," Cisco said once the door was closed, a brooding expression settling in on his face as he followed the others back to the cortex, not liking the direction things were heading in.

* * *

"Did we make the right call here?"

"Yeah, we did."

Sophia remained silent, her heart and her mind debating inside of her of what she should have done, of what she should do. On one hand, she wanted to protect Barry from himself, she knew that his actions were based out of rage and vengeance, something that felt like it wouldn't end well. But on the other hand, without The Flash fighting by her side, she was sure that she wouldn't be able to defeat Zoom on her own. Not with his tricks and impulsivity. She was torn, and for now she let herself be led by the rest of the team, keeping her worries hidden deep within.

"Yeah, that was just a little harder than I anticipated."

"That was the easy part," Harry said. "Now, using our plan to take down Zoom without Barry, that's gonna be the hard part, but it's gonna be a lot easier once we know where he is, Ramon," Harry said, his eyes watching Cisco.

"Chill, man. I'm working on it."

"Work harder."

"Got it," Cisco said. "He's at the industrial park on Leawood."

"Snow," Harry said, speaking to Caitlin softly whilst the other's gathered their equipment, making sure that they had everything they needed. "Look, everybody here would understand if you don't want to go through with this."

"Jay may be a monster, but there's a human inside of him somewhere. I've gotten to that part of him before. I know I can do it again," Caitlin said. "I want to stop him, Harry, for good."

"So let's go over the plan again," Joe said looking to Iris who took it away.

"Okay, Caitlin will distract Jay so that you and Harry can hit him with the boot. Cisco's gonna open the breach, and Sophia's going to put Zoom through it," Iris said.

"I'll disarm the magnetar, and destroy the magnetar," Harry said.

"Save the multi-verse," Cisco said.

"One more thing. We need to agree. We all made this decision together, so if anything goes wrong, we stick with it," Joe said.

Sophia nodded along with the others reluctantly. But Joe was right. She had made the decision to agree with them and she had to stick by her word.

"Let's load up."

* * *

Sophia let out a breath, and with that moved to suit up. She was going to make sure that Zoom went through that breach.

The industrial park at Leawood was abandoned, as per usual and Sophia knew there had to be some sort of villain code 101 that they followed, and the first rule was to always hideout in an abandoned warehouse, or park where no one would come by. She knew that it was for obvious reasons, but still, it was terribly clichéd.

She was dressed in her suit, and this time she had brought along the katana for good luck if anything to give her a one up on Zoom. She knew from the last time that it had helped greatly and though she hadn't been one to follow in the footsteps of her deceased doppelganger from another universe, it was a nice touch to her entire persona.

Sophia pursed her lips as her mind trickled back to when she had first become Sapphire. She knew back then that if someone had told her that she would she go through such incredible and heartbreaking experiences that she would have thought they were insane. But standing here, she realised that it was so much bigger than that. Her purpose here wasn't just to be a hero, it was to be a protector of the city. Not to just protect her family and friends from Zoom, but all of those not only in Central City, but the world.

She felt her heart ache in her chest at the thought of Barry sitting there in a cell in the pipeline, but she knew that she had to stick with her decision, it was too late to go back on it now. All she could do was give it her all, and if she died in the process, then so be it. Because she knew that she would sacrifice herself for any one of the people standing here, and even though Barry wasn't there with them physically, he was there in her heart.

" _Okay, in position,"_ Joe said.

"Copy that. We got you," Iris said from inside the van that was a few blocks away.

"Okay. Snow, you ready?" Harry asked over the comm.

"As ready as I can be."

"Cisco, you good?" Harry inquired as he got into position, the rifle resting on a metal beam, aiming toward the ground with ease.

"Define 'good'."

"Cisco, I believe in you. You're going to be great," Sophia said, placing her hand on his shoulder for support. "I'm right here with you." She paused and then spoke into the comm. one more time. "And you all remember. If it goes sideways, every single one of you leave and I deal with Zoom."

"Agreed."

" _Copy that."_

With another deep breath, Sophia gave Cisco a look of encouragement before flying up into the sky, giving herself the perfect vantage point, but remaining skilfully hidden in the dark night.

"Here we go," She whispered.

Caitlin's image suddenly appeared, and Sophia had never been more impressed with Cisco's technology than she had in that moment. The hologram was authentic and the sound was as though Caitlin was standing right there. She called out Jay's name, and moments later, he ran onto the scene.

"Caitlin?" Jay asked in uncertainty, asking her if she was really there. "How did you find me?"

"Dr. McGee said the Magnetar was stolen from her labs," Caitlin explained, slowly taking a step towards him. "I knew that it had to be you, so I tracked you here. I tracked you here, Jay. No one else knows."

"I told you, if you left me…" He began but she cut him off with a sorrowful look, one filled with regret and hope.

"That if I betrayed you, you'd show me no mercy, I know. But I just want to explain why I did that. Please, Jay." Her voice was sincere, and her eyes portrayed a longing that she hoped would draw Jay in, and it did as she watched him move closer to her. In all honesty, Caitlin had been thinking about Ronnie, channelling her feelings for her lost husband, hoping the thought of him would help them save the world. Even though he had been gone for so long, he was still changing her life.

"Good job, girl," Iris commended, encouraging Caitlin to keep going.

"I made a mistake. I am so sorry that I abandoned you. But you have to understand what you said to me… that there was a dark side of me, that I was more like Killer Frost than I knew. I didn't want to accept that. I tried to lock the darkness inside of me. But you knew that was already a part of me now, and you're the only one who did. And now, I'm ready to accept who I really am."

" _Cisco, get ready."_

"I am so sorry that I hurt you," Caitlin apologised. "But now I want to be the one that only you know. Please, Jay. Let me try."

" _One more step,"_ Joe whispered as he focused on Jay.

"I knew you'd eventually come around, Caitlin," He said. "But it's too late." With a great swipe of his phasing hand, he aimed for Caitlin, but when he moved it forward, all his hand met was the air, the hologram caving in on itself and disappearing, leaving a bewildered Hunter looking around the scene with wide eyes.

Harry had not wasted a second, firing the boot at Zoom's neck, perfectly hitting its target around his neck. The metal brace electrified causing the dark speedster to cry out in pain, stumbling backward as he clawed at his neck, trying to rid himself of the contraption.

"Now, Ramon!"

Cisco's glasses lit up as he punched his fist into the air in the direction of Zoom, creating a breach directly behind him.

"Damn it," Joe cursed.

"Tranq him! Tranq him!" Harry yelled.

"Gun is jammed," Joe said, picking out two needles and rushing down to jab Zoom. He managed to get the tranq in.

"Sophia, you're up."

Flying down, Sophia threw a continuous blast of energy at Zoom, pushing his body back into the breach, but to her horror at the last second, Zoom had reached out, his hand grasping the back of Joe's jacket, dragging him in with him.

"No!" Sophia screamed, flying down at light speed to try and grab onto Joe and pull him back, but it was too late and the breach had closed in on itself. She crashed into the ground, her knees banging uncomfortably against the concrete as she tumbled to a stop, breathing heavily as reality settled in.

"Dad!" Iris cried, rushing out of the van, nearly stumbling over her feet in horror.

It was in that moment that reality came crashing down on Sophia. She should not have let them do this, she shouldn't have let them fight alongside her, because now, Joe might have paid the ultimate price… and it was all her fault.

* * *

"Did you see my dad?" Iris asked, pacing the empty floor in front of the Cortex, her arms wrapped around her as she stood there in a warm jacket that Sophia had given her before leaving the room.

"No, the vibe keeps changing," Cisco said, tossing his glasses onto the desk. "It's like my brain is channel surfing or something."

"They must be on the move. That's why the vibe's in flux. Keep trying."

"Hey, did you turn off the Magnetar?" Cisco asked Harry who shook his head.

"No, there's no messing with that thing. Whatever he did to it… we try and touch it, we try and move it… this planet's done for." Harry pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. There was no telling what alterations Hunter had made to the device so for now it was their safest bet to steer clear of it.

"Iris," Wally breathed out as he rushed into the cortex. He had received an urgent voicemail from her telling him to come to Star Labs immediately and he was terrified that something bad had happened. "What's wrong?"

"Zoom took Dad," Iris said, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"What?! How?" Wally was outraged at the situation, and it was evident with the pounding of his blood echoing in his ears at this very moment.

"We tried to stop Zoom by pushing him through the breach, but… he took Joe with him."

"Well, where's Barry? Did he go after him?" Wally asked and it was then he noticed that Sophia was also missing. "And where's Sophia?"

"Barry's not with us. He's in a cell in the intake."

"Wait, you… you tried to stop Zoom alone?" Wally asked disbelievingly. He wanted to face palm majorly right now, but judging by the serious looks on everyone's faces, he stopped himself from doing so.

"Long story."

"Well, we have to get him back."

"Wally, before Zoom took Dad, we all agreed that if we got him off this Earth, we would close the breaches for good, and we would never open them again, under any circumstance."

"Why… why would you do that?" Wally asked, taking a step back in shock. "No. No way, that's not gonna happen."

"He made us all agree to it," Iris said.

"Well, guess what. I didn't agree to that."

"Wally…"

"Iris, I already lost my mom. If Dad… I…" Wally choked on his words, shaking his head with disapproval as he left. He couldn't believe that he had been left out of such an important decision, and now he was being told there was nothing he could do to save his father.

Iris looked down at her hands, she knew exactly how he felt right now and it was probably eating away at his heart worse than it was hers in that moment. She looked around the room after Wally left, sighing, and her eyes moving to the dot on the screen indicating that Sophia was on the roof of Star Labs. At the thought of the guilt that she saw her friend carry it just made the weight of what had happened so much heavier.

* * *

"I will say, if anything, Barry sure has an ample number of fathers to kill," Hunter chuckled.

"If you're gonna kill me, kill me," Joe grunted as he got up from his position on the ground. "It doesn't matter. You're not racing anybody."

"Come on, Joe. You know Barry better than that. You raised him. He'll say yes if he thinks he can save you."

"Not this time," Joe said. "I made sure of it." Joe's eyes then caught the man in the iron mask who was sitting in his own cage across from him, sitting on the floor with his legs crossed. "Who is that?"

"It would just confuse you," Hunter said, rolling his eyes.

"Try me."

Hunter ignored that and began on a tangent. "I got my speed the same way Barry did. When I got struck by the dark matter and electricity, I became Zoom, the fastest man alive. Wasn't long before I had this Earth on its knees. But it wasn't enough. I wanted more. I wanted to be faster. So I created a speed drug."

"Velocity-9."

"It made me faster than I ever thought possible, fast enough to break the dimensional barrier, fast enough to run to other universes, other Earths. And then, one day, on one of those other Earths, I discovered him."

"He's another speedster?"

"Yeah, you could say that," Hunter mused. "That was right about the time I discovered something else too. All that V-9 I'd been injecting into my system had a little side effect."

"It was killing you," Joe whispered.

"I searched for a cure. I tried everything. I even tried to manipulate the Speed Force, but let me tell you, the Speed Force, the Speed Force does not like its rules being broken. Now it's been sending its enforcers after me ever since."

"So you brought him here to steal his speed."

"I tried, but it wouldn't take. But then the skies parted, and I saw Barry, and then I stole his speed. I won. I beat the rules of the Speed Force."

"Why keep him here?"

"Trophy," Hunter shrugged. "And a little idea I had for fun. You see, I got so tired of being the villain, so I decided to be the hero too. I even borrows his name, Jay Garrick."

When Joe didn't reply, Hunter took a step forward drumming on the glass with his gloved fingers.

"You know what's gonna be great, Detective?" Hunter asked. "After I beat Barry in the race and prove that I'm the fastest man alive on any Earth, he's gonna rot in a cage just like the one Jay's in now. And then I'll have a flash from two worlds to keep me company. But what makes the deal all the more sweeter is that Barry will watch as each and every one of his friends die before his eyes. I think we'll start with his sweetheart. It'll be a fine day to watch The Sapphire Knight fall." Hunter let out a cackle, and Joe felt queasy at the sound. He hoped whatever happened that his kids were safe, that Barry and Sophia were safe. Because if anyone was going to save the day, it would be those two.

* * *

There was a sudden beep and Cisco jumped up from his seat. His eyes glanced over to see that a cell in the pipeline had been unlocked to see that Barry was no longer in his cell. With wide eyes he turned around to face the others.

"Uh, hey, guys, Barry's not…"

One whoosh later, and it was obvious what Cisco was going to say. The rest of the team that was in the Cortex looked guilty and unsure of themselves as Barry approached with anger on his face.

"Wally!" Iris berated.

"What?" Wally yelled back. "I wasn't just gonna stand here and let this happen."

"You let him take Joe? What the hell were you thinking?" Barry yelled as he stomped further into the room.

"Allen, there was nothing we could do," Harry said, trying to explain but the speedster was having none of it.

Barry crossed his arms, and clenched his jaw, stopping himself from doing something he would regret, like perhaps, decking Harry. He was angry and he didn't want to do anything irrational, but it was beginning to become hard to stay focused on reason when his team went behind his back and ended up getting one of their own stuck in the crossfire. "You could've let me race him!"

"Allen! You're not racing Zoom!"

"What are you gonna do? Are you gonna tranq me again?" Barry threw accusingly.

"Don't tempt me," Harry shot back.

"Look, I know you guys made a pact to keep Zoom on Earth-2, but you did that without me and Wally. All right? You don't get to do that!"

"Barry, look at yourself right now, you're not okay," Cisco said.

"Cisco, my dad was just killed in front of me. Do you have any idea how that feels? Watching someone you love die?" He asked, his strained voice full of hurt.

"Yes, I do," Caitlin spoke up from where she stood in the corner, standing up from where she was leaning against the wall. She began to walk forward to Barry, ignoring the look of empathy that was written on his face after he spoke.

"Cait…"

"Look, Barry. I know how cold and angry and distant that can make you. But when this happened to me, you were the one who kept me in check. You told me to stop and take a breath, and that's all we're telling you to do now," Caitlin said.

"I'm telling you, I'm good," Barry insisted, his voice a lot calmer than it was before.

"Really? You're good?" Harry scoffed. "Because it seems to me you want to do more than stop Zoom. It seems to me you want revenge. If that's why you're doing this, Allen, you will lose."

"Look, you guys. You may not think I can do this. You may think I'm too angry, but we're running out of time! I have to beat him, and I'm going to, whether I have your help or not."

It was silent and Barry was breathing heavily as he looked to everyone in the room, watching as Cisco caved first, giving him a firm nod, and then slowly the others too fell in line and it was agreed that they would do this together.

"Where's Sophia?" Barry asked finally, noticing that she wasn't in the room.

"She's on the roof," Cisco answered. "She needed to be alone for a little while… I would honestly just leave her up there but it's been a few hours and she hasn't come back down yet."

Barry left the team to organise the rest of the plan while he checked up on her. When he got to the roof he hadn't expected to see her looking so… broken.

She sat there on the edge of the rooftop, her mask next to her on the floor, and her hair out of its usual tidy braids that she wore during a fight. Her cheeks were stained pink either from crying or furious rubbing and she looked out into the distance with a faraway look in her eye.

"Sophia," Barry called her name and when she turned to look at him she didn't meet his eyes, instead turned away to face the distance once more. He knew that something was wrong and though he was upset with her for locking him up and agreeing with the others, he was also worried about her.

"Soph."

"I fucked up, Barry," She whispered, biting down on the inside of her cheek to stop herself from crying, and actively avoiding his gaze. She felt responsible for what had transpired earlier and she knew it was her fault. "I shouldn't have agreed to the plan, I shouldn't have put them in danger, I should have gone in alone but like an idiot, I didn't and now Zoom has Joe and I-," Sophia choked on her words. "I'm not a hero," Her voice cracked. "I-I'm not." She buried her face in her hands once more, trying to control her breathing but it was becoming difficult. There was a heavy weight on her chest that felt like it was crushing her ribcage and no matter how much she cried or apologised, it still hurt.

"Sophia, this wasn't your fault. It was a decision that you all made together, including Joe."

"You weren't there, Barry. It was supposed to be me," She cried. "I was supposed to be the one to make the sacrifice, not Joe! Now h-he's stuck on Earth-2."

"We're going to get him back."

"Don't you understand, we agreed we wouldn't open the breach?"

"Well the plan has changed. We're going to save Joe, together, and we're going to stop Zoom," Barry said, moving to reach out to her.

He touched her arm and she flinched. "Look at me, Sophia."

"H-How can you want to look at me when I can't even stand myself," She whispered with a lost voice. She blamed herself for loosing Joe, and for going against Barry in the first place. But there was no going back to the past to change what happened, not now.

"It's not your fault," Barry said, placing his hand on her face and turning her face to his so she was looking at him. "I don't blame you, Iris doesn't blame you, and Wally doesn't blame you."

Their eyes met and that's when her resolve broke and the tears began to flow. The trauma from losing Henry and now Joe had caught up with her, and there was no more holding back her tears, there was no more standing up strong for the others. " _I'm so sorry_."

"I know, sweetheart" Barry said, rubbing her back as she cried into his chest. "We're gonna get him back."

* * *

Seeing as though it had been into the late hours of the morning when Barry had been released from his cell, and their plan failed, it was decided they would all go home and rest before coming up with the second part of their plan.

Sophia decided that going home to a hot shower or bath would be the best idea. She figured that she could always order some take-out Big Belly Burger if she was feeling that famished. As soon as she got home, she started a hot bath, steam filling up the room instantly. She threw in the last few drops of her rose bubble bath lotion that she could find before sinking into it, allowing the bubbles to rise up to the base of her neck, only her face free from their wrath.

Soft music played in the background, and she closed her eyes as she hummed to the music, trying to relax. She had even gotten a few candles burning in the corner of the bathroom, the musky and sandalwood scent reminding her of Barry. The warmth from the bathtub was enough to rock her to sleep, and she was sure she would have fallen into a deep slumber had Barry not come into the room.

"Enjoying yourself?" Barry asked as he walked into the bathroom, kicking off his socks, and pulling off his shirt in one motion.

"Yes," She hummed, sinking herself lower into the bath. "I'm trying to de-stress before the big fight tomorrow. If I think about it any longer I think my brain will implode."

"Got any room for me in there?"

"Depends, what do you have to offer?" She asked with a grin, appreciative eyes running over Barry's body.

"A back massage," Barry said and then with a whoosh once more, that disrupted the perfect ratio of bubbles to water, he arrived in the tub with two glasses of wine, and some chocolate that he placed on the side next to a candle, hoping that it wouldn't melt from the heat.

"I think I can work with that." She took a glass off him and downed it in one go. When he offered her his one, she had no qualms about finishing it as well, and he would have laughed had she not had such a serious look on her face.

"You weren't kidding about the stress," Barry said, noticing the dark circles under her eyes, and the worry that had settled in permanently in her forehead, giving her frown lines. But regardless of this, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he was thankful every day that he got to call her his. He couldn't begin to imagine going through everything they had recently without her by his side. He knew it would have been much more painful.

"Trust me, I know."

"We're going to be fine." He didn't believe the words that fell off his lips, but he kept repeating them anyhow, because he hoped that one day it was true. He had just lost his father, and now Joe was missing, but he hoped that whatever happened next, however it ended, that they were all fine.

"I know, but I can't help but worry. I love you and I don't want to see you get hurt," She said, reaching over and placing a kiss on his lips. He was happy to respond accordingly, his mouth moving needily against hers, a breathy moan escaping his lips. He pulled away from her, brushing some of her hair out of her face with a wet hand. His green eyes met hers, and in the warm candle light, her brown eyes looked like melted chocolate, and they were drawing him in every second he gazed into them.

"I love you too, and I promise you, we're going to be fine."

"Whatever you say, Flash," Sophia joked, trying to lighten the mood. "Now how about that back massage?" She asked, with a twinkle in her eye.

* * *

The following day trickled along as the yellow sun rose, and in the early morning it was decided that Barry would race Zoom. After many discussions it was discovered that this was the only way to safely retrieve Joe back now that he was in the clutches of Zoom. With the aid of his high-tech glasses, Cisco was able to project, and vibe onto Earth-2, sending a message to Zoom that they wanted to meet, relaying Barry's declaration that he would race the speedster. Zoom was quick in relaying a time and place that the race would commence upon, leaving the team to prepare for the night ahead.

Though Sophia had felt much more relaxed after the previous day, the nerves and stakes were high as they made their way down to the allocated location. The grassland area was wide and empty, leaving them the perfect spot to fight the insane villain without having to worry about civilian casualties getting in the way. Sophia surveyed the area, noting that the tall trees would be a good point of contact for her if she wanted to hide out or even get an up on Zoom. She was glad that it was a clear night, the sky void of clouds allowing the moonlight to shine brightly down on them, providing enough light on the ground. The weight of her sword resting on her back was heavy, and her heart was stuck in her throat, the adrenaline building up in her system in anticipation of it all coming to an end.

"I tell you, Jay might be crazy-pants, but he can pick a venue," Cisco said as they walked onto the site. Wide and tall trees greeted them, and ride in the middle of the parkland was the device that they would be racing on. It was much bigger than any of them had anticipated and they could see now why Zoom needed two speedsters to power the machine.

"Brought the whole crew with you, huh?" Hunter tutted as they walked up towards him. Sophia was just glad that Joe was there and in one piece. Though he looked scared and a bit malnourished, with visible dark circles under his eyes, he looked to be fine, and that in itself was a miracle. "Can't say I blame you."

"Dad," Wally yelled, nearly jumping to reach out to his father, but Zoom shook his head and Wally took a step back.

"Wally!"

"It's gonna be one hell of a show," Hunter said with a devilish grin.

"Let him go," Barry ordered, his voice stiff and demanding.

" _After_ we race."

"Cut the crap. We know you plan to power up the Magnetar so you can destroy the multiverse," Barry threw at him.

"Bravo. You figured it out… _almost_." Zoom's head turned to face the machine and then he looked back at the Flash's groupies standing before him. "I don't want to destroy all of it. This Earth is at the centre of the multiverse. It's the access point to every other Earth in existence. One trans-dimensional shockwave, and… _poof_."

"Leaving just our Earth," Cisco said. "How generous of you."

"Need to have some place to hang my cowl," Hunter said. "You might want to say your good-byes."

Barry then turned to Wally and Iris, making a promise to them. "Don't worry. I'm gonna save your dad."

"No. You're gonna save our dad," Wally said, giving Barry a supportive smile.

"Get back to Star Labs. It's safer," Barry said. "You as well, Sophia."

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to leave you here to fight him on your own. We're a team, remember?" She placed a chaste kiss on his lips, whispering a good luck. She had her lucky charm strapped to her back that night and she was going to make sure, that Zoom tasted the metal of her sword before he left this world tonight. Because if she was sure of one thing, it was that Hunter Zolomon was a dead man.

"We're not going anywhere. We got eyes and ears right here. Either he goes, or we all die together."

"We believe in you, both of you," Iris declared, her chest filling with hope as she looked at her best friend, her eyes then glancing over to Sophia. She was so proud of the heroes that they had become. She believed that they could do it.

" _Wait_ ," Joe called out as Barry took a step forward causing him to turn and look at the older West.

"Barry, kick his ass."

With a firm nod, Barry ran over to Zoom, standing before him with his a look of strength on his face.

"What are the rules?"

"One lap around the inside of this loop will produce 1 gigawatt of energy, and I need 500-plus to power the Magnetar enough to do the job. Once it's full, I win, because there is no stopping it."

"So all I have to do to beat you is stop you before that happens," Barry said.

"Yep. It's that simple." Barry didn't like the way Hunter was speaking to him. It was like he was taunting him. "But if, at any point, you decide you don't want to race anymore, dear old dad number two is a dead man, as well as your little fan club."

"They're not my fan club. They're the reason that I'm running, and why I'm gonna beat you."

"Let's see what you're made of, Flash."

"Just say when, Zoom."

"Run, Barry. Run!"

The two speedsters ran, their feet powerful yet light as they moved faster than the speed of light, their bodies a blur as they powered up the magnetar. The brilliant colours of yellow and blue lightning clashed against each other as Barry tried to up Zoom, and though he was close, Hunter still had the upper hand when it came to the speed, and he was just evading Barry's grasp by millimetres at a time.

"He's powering up the magnetar," Harry said.

"Come on, Barry. Catch up."

"Which one's Barry?" Cisco asked as they watched in amazement as two Flash's ran to attack Zoom.

"Both of them. He made a…" Sophia began, her eyes watching on in awe at what was happening.

" _Time Remnant_." They both said at the same time, their eyes meeting as they turned to look at each other. "I'm going to get into position. You guys stay here," Sophia instructed, flying up into the sky and at an angle that would be perfect for her to swoop down once the two had stopped running.

There was still one Barry running on the Magnetar, and the other had stopped, rescuing Joe from where he had been bonded far away.

"Go, all right? Go!" Barry yelled and Joe hesitated, unsure of what was happening. "I'll explain later, Joe."

It was at this point that Hunter realised what was happening and ran down to face Barry head on. "Stole my trick, Flash. But you're too late. Bye-bye, multiverse." Both men turned to look at the Magnetar noticing that it was nearly powered up, but suddenly something had changed. Barry's time remnant had done it!

The machine had begun to splutter, electrical wires exploding into bright lights, and most of them had to take a step back to watch it in awe.

"No!" Zoom cried out, dragging his gloved hands down his face in shock.

"What's the time remnant doing?" Joe asked from safety.

"He's creating his own pulse," Cisco said, excitement building up inside of him.

"Why would he do that?" Iris asked.

"Because… if that's out of phase, it'll counteract that one," Harry explained.

"Wait, his body can't handle that." Caitlin chewed nervously on her finger nails.

"Then what's gonna happen?"

"He'll die."

They watched as the power overloaded the Magnetar and the bright lights simmered down, the machine crackling with energy and power, electric sockets bursting, glass shattering until the machine was dead, taking the time remnant with it.

" _No_!" Zoom roared in anger, before turning to run at Barry, with plans of showing no mercy. He crashed into Barry's body, the two of them going tumbling down the hill till they reached the bottom with Barry kneeling on the ground and Hunter standing in front of him.

"Ah!" Barry groaned as he stood up to face him.

"You're a hero, Barry. You couldn't kill me before. You won't kill me now," Hunter taunted, eyes becoming encompassed with darkness.

"I don't have to," Barry replied breathlessly, giving Sapphire a nod from where she stood behind Hunter, her sword in hand, gleaming in the moonlight.

"I'll do it for him," Sophia said, appearing out of nowhere behind Zoom, catching him off guard. He turned around just in time to be met with her wrath. Her sword rippled with cobalt energy as it swiftly sliced down the front of his chest horizontally with a powerful swipe. His blood dripped down the tip of the sword and the speedster stumbled backwards from the blow. Her sword had practically sliced through the entire thickness of his chest, and though he wasn't dead yet, he would soon be. But she didn't have to do anything further, because flying straight at Zoom was a Time Wraith that had appeared out of thin air.

The dark creature screeched terrifyingly in the air, the sound sending shivers down Sophia's spine, and causing more than a fearful look to appear on Hunter's face. He didn't make it far in his injured state before the Time Wraith sank its deadly claws into his skin, sucking the life and Speed Force out of his body that dangled in the air with the Time Wraith. The horrifying screams that left Zoom's lips were soon ceased as all that was left was a skeletal face before it devoured the rest of his body, dragging it along with it as the Time Wraith left once more.

"We did it!" Cheers were heard from their friends further down, everyone jumping up and down as they had all witnessed their last encounter with the demise of Zoom coming to a close.

"He's dead!"

"We stopped him," Sophia screamed with joy, rushing over to hug Barry as tight as she could, laughing as he spun her around in his arms, his lips pressed to the side of her face in a fierce kiss.

"We did it." As they stopped spinning, Barry pulled down his mask, and brought his lips to Sophia's, moving against hers with an intensity that sent her heart beating in a frenzy. She smiled gleefully into the kiss, feeling lighter than ever, and when he pulled away, his eyes sparkled with love and relief as they took in their victory.

* * *

Walking back into Star Labs to hang up her suit had been an incredible feeling that night, and Sophia knew that she had never been more proud of her friends and herself. With their hard team work they had stopped Zoom and she felt like she could finally rest.

"Okay, so you ran back in time and made a copy of yourself?" Wally asked, the words rushing out of his mouth almost as fast as Barry ran causing Sophia to smile at the interaction.

"Well, uh, basically," Barry said, trying to explain it in simpler terms. "It's called a time remnant. It's not something that I can do every day, but I needed a way to draw the Time Wraith's out of the Speed Force, hoping they'd be more upset at what Zoom had done than they'd be with me."

"Is that what I look like when he starts talking about science?" Joe asked with a laugh when he glanced over at Wally who looked confused from it all. Joe was surprised he understood what it all meant, but he figured having been one of the first people to know Barry's secret gave him a one up and a bit more time to learn all of the new terminology that came with Barry being a speedster.

"Pretty much," Barry chuckled.

"Don't worry, Wally. It'll get easier to understand," Sophia laughed, sliding her arm in Barry's resting her head on his shoulder.

"Well, how does that even work?" Wally asked incredulously, still unable to believe how Barry had done it in the first place.

"Same way Zoom did it. I ran back in time moments before I left. It's the only way I can be in two places at once."

"Okay, so the time remnant, it's still you?" Joe inquired.

"Yeah."

"But he died."

"Uh… he was willing to sacrifice himself for all of us. That's how much he loved us."

"You know what? We'll just… forget about it. I'm just glad you're okay," Joe said as he walked over to them.

Meanwhile on the other side of the room, Cisco and Harry were working on removing the Iron Mask that was still sitting on the head of the poor man that Zoom had locked up. Barry had quickly ran to Earth-2 to rescue him, remembering his promise to his former prison mate.

"You know what? In battle, choose your weapon wisely."

"All right? Some people chose a gun. I choose a Philips-head screwdriver."

"Oh, oh, _I'm sorry_. You're so particular," Cisco retorted sarcastically.

"Ramon, can you just please…"

"Have you ever worked with a tool before?" Harry asked, narrowing his eyes at Cisco.

"I'm working with one now," Cisco muttered and Harry rolled his eyes.

Sophia laughed at their antics as she held Barry close to her, glad that things were getting back to normal.

"Are you ready?" Cisco nodded.

"One, two and…" Harry said, turning the last of the lock and with a clanking noise the iron mask finally came undone. It was then removed, and the man beneath gasped, touching his face for the first time in a long time. His beard was nearly fully grown, and a bit wild, but his bright blue eyes were the same as Barry remembered them.

"You're…" Barry breathed out, frozen in his spot.

"I'm Jay Garrick, the real Jay Garrick," The man spoke, but all everyone could see was the face of Henry Allen. Silence had filled the room as they all looked at the face of the dead man they had put to rest only a few days ago, and the pain stung as reality settled in, but it was the worst for Barry.

"What?" The man had asked, unsure of why he was receiving such a reaction.

"I'm sorry…" Barry gasped before running out of the room.

Sophia gave Jay a sympathetic smile before rushing after Barry with Joe hot on her tail, leaving the others to fill in the blanks.

"Barry," Sophia called out his name as he walked down the hallway, and he stopped in his tracks, turning around and meeting her in the middle, collapsing in her arms. She whispered reassuring words, holding onto him tight as he cried.

"Barr," Joe said sympathetically as he came to a stop behind them.

Barry pulled away from Sophia's embrace for a moment, looking at Joe with blurred vision. He rubbed his hand against his face and once he had calmed down he spoke once more.

"He looks just like him. He looks just like my dad, Joe," Barry said. "I can't believe this. My dad told me. _He told me this_. He said his mom's maiden name was Garrick. I just never thought that that meant…"

"Barry, he doesn't' know that," Joe said. "He doesn't know that he's your dad's doppelganger, okay?" Joe reassured him. "You want me to tell him that you had to leave?"

Barry shook his head, wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand. "No, I just need a minute. I'll be alright."

"Okay."

Joe gave Barry a pat on the back before leaving the two alone.

"You sure you're alright?" Sophia asked as she watched him take in a few deep breaths. He gave her a nod, and focused on maintaining his breathing once more, as not to have a panic attack in the middle of the hallway.

"I'll be fine," Barry insisted. "It was just too soon, you know…"

"I know, honey," Sophia said, hugging him once more. "You don't have to go back in there if you don't want to."

"No, its ok. I want to."

"Then let's go. I'll be with you every step of the way," She gave him a warm smile and intertwined her fingers with his own, giving him the strength to go back into the room.

They walked back into the room just in time to see Jay destroy the mask by phasing his hand through it.

"So your powers are back."

"I see Jay… excuse me… Hunter," Barry said. "Stole your colour scheme too."

"He took a lot of things that were mine, except for that. That's um… that's all him," Jay said, pointing at the metal helmet that had the two winds on either side.

"He said it was his father's from the war."

"Ironically, on my… on our Earth… this helmet stood for hope," Harry said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well, maybe I can continue that sentiment, take something from him, for a change, make it my own," Jay said, picking up the helmet and placing it on his head. With his old suit on, and the new helmet it created quite the look.

"It suits you," Barry mentioned.

"Thank you, all of you, for saving me from Zoom, especially you, Flash," Jay said, nodding his head towards Barry.

"You're Welcome, Flash," Barry grinned in reply.

"Now all I have to do is find my way home."

"And where's that?" Harry inquired.

"I think you would call it Earth-3, or perhaps 4?" Jay said. "I'm not sure, it's been a while. But I'm sure if I get my hands on a computer I can help show you the way."

"Uh-huh. Well, I can help you get to Earth-2," Harry said with a laugh. "My daughter and I can help you with the rest."

"We can?" Jesse asked with hopeful eyes, looking from Wally to her father. She had thought that she would never get to go back home. Her father gave her a nod and she squealed in delight, jumping into his arms and hugging him tight. Harry grinned, happy that his daughter was excited to go back home, it had been too long, and now that the devil was dead, they could do as they pleased.

"Yes, we can. _We're going home_."

* * *

The team was gathered in the breach room where they were to say their goodbyes before Cisco opened up a breach to send them back home to Earth-2.

"Snow. You're a tremendous scientist, but you're an even better person," Harry said, and Caitlin laughed, jumping at him with a tight hug, surprising him once more.

"Don't make me cry, Harry," Caitlin said, feeling her eyes watering already. "I've done enough of that already."

With a smile she moved away and let him say goodbye to the others.

"Detective Joe West," Harry said with a firm nod, sticking his hand out for Joe to shake.

"Harry."

"You have great kids. You take care of them."

"Same to you. You take care of that beautiful girl." Harry embraced Joe in a tight hug, giving him a salute when he pulled back.

"Yes, sir."

"Hey," Cisco said casually, feeling sad to say au revoir, but he did his best to hide it.

"I'm a better man than I was when I got here, and that's cause of you," Harry said.

"I'm not the same either," Cisco said, but it felt too sullen for a goodbye. "Hey, don't be surprised if I project myself over to Earth-2 every once in a while, you know, just to throw your stuff across the office," Cisco said causing everyone to laugh.

"I'll miss you too, Cisco."

"And you, Sophia, you're my hero whether you want to believe it or not. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for, and I hope you remember that," Harry told her.

His words hit her the hardest because lately she hadn't been feeling like she was a hero, or that she was in fact strong, but his words reminded her that she wasn't just strong as the protector of Central City, but as Sophia Lang, and for that she would be forever grateful.

"Thank you, Harry. Take care of yourself okay," Sophia said, giving him a warm hug. Though they had their ups and their downs, she was going to miss having Harry around. Things would certainly be different around here without him. "And don't be too hard on Jesse. She might be your kid, but she's growing into a beautiful young woman."

Harry gave her a rueful smile and shrugged his shoulders. He was still working on trying to be a better father, but it was hard without his wife there to guide and help him along the way. But he had learnt a lot from his new found friends here on Earth-1. "I'll try to keep that in mind."

Once the last minute goodbyes had been said and done, Cisco raised his hands out in front of him, the blue energy flowing out of his hands, creating a giant breach before their eyes, allowing the group to pass through before collapsing in on itself.

As the breach closed, Sophia hoped that this wouldn't be the last time that they saw their friends from Earth-2, because now, they had become family, and she was hoped that one day they would meet again.

* * *

With a celebratory glass of wine in hand, Sophia exited the West household to stand on their veranda, taking in a deep breath as she leaned her arms against the wooden railing, her eyes glancing up at the night sky, watching as the stars shone bright like diamonds. It was a beautiful night, a cool breeze brushing against her skin as she sat outside, and the sky was clear of clouds, making the stars shine particularly bright.

It had been an insane year, and she couldn't believe that their troubles had come to an end. She had dreamed of the day where she could wake up, relaxed and worry free, not having to think about strategies or possible scenarios involving evil speedsters, but here, the day had finally come.

With a smile on her face, she took a sip of the white sparkling wine, enjoying the bubbly feeling it gave her as it travelled down her throat. She had already made a list of things to do. The first was to go home and relax, and maybe sleep for a few days and then she had planned to go visit her father, and see how he was doing. She then desperately wanted to visit Anna and Clark, seeing as though she hadn't been in contact with them for a while now. She was so glad that now she could finally pay attention to herself, and her personal life. For so long it her life had been run by the drama of her alter-ego but for now it was taking the back seat and that was something she would never take for granted ever again. It was hard being a superhero but in the end, she knew that she could never have done anything else with these abilities. As Uncle Ben always said, with great power comes great responsibility, and if in this case she saw how true those words were. For all she knew, she could have turned out to be someone like Zoom, someone like Black Siren. But she didn't and for that she was forever grateful.

She was brought out of her deep thoughts when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned her head, her curls bouncing to the side as she looked over at Barry who was walking towards her. He gave her a heart-warming smile before hugging her from behind, his firm and solid chest pressed against her back, the heat and tight embrace offering her a sense of protection and love.

"What are you doing out here?" Barry asked, brushing away some of her hair so he could press a hot kiss to the back of her neck, the action making her shiver.

"Just thinking," Sophia said, sighing under his touch as he pressed another kiss, this one under her ear. The small acts of affection were what ruined her the most and she was sure that Barry knew the effect he had on her. She leaned back into him, this time earning herself a kiss on her cheek.

"Me too," Barry sighed. "I can't stop thinking about my dad's doppelganger. Seeing him, knowing that he's out there, that should've made it easier."

"But it doesn't, does it?"

Barry shook his head, resting his chin upon her shoulder as she took another sip of her drink, resting the glass on the firm wood, hoping it would balance there. She then turned around in his arms, so she could face him as he spoke.

"It just made me miss him even more."

"I can't imagine how hard that must have been for you. If the roles were reversed I don't think I would be handling it as good as you are right now," Sophia said. She couldn't begin to imagine if she had been put in the same position. If both of her parents had been murdered by villainous psychopaths out of revenge, she would have been broken a long time ago.

"I think if I didn't have any of you I wouldn't be able to. You're all incredibly supportive and I don't know what I'd do without you."

She smiled and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek, enjoying the feeling of his rough stubble under her lips. He hadn't shaved for the last few days, and a light brown stubble had begun to form on his jaw and she liked it more then she would like to admit. She then blinked, realising she was getting off track with her thoughts and then turned herself back to the conversation.

"We just won. We just beat Zoom… so why does it feel like I just lost?" Barry asked, his eyes meeting hers desperately for an answer, but the thing was, Sophia didn't have one.

"I-I'm not sure, Barr. You've lost a lot in your life, Barry, more than most. But I want you to know, that whatever happens next, I love you more than anything in this world, and I'll always be here, by your side, waiting for you," She declared, her fingers gently brushing against his cheek.

"I needed to hear that," Barry said, resting his forehead against hers. "I feel so broken right now, losing them both. I have to do something."

"I'll be waiting for you, my love," Sophia said with such honesty and adoration that his heart almost gave out. He moved forward, his mouth hovering over hers for a second before he caught her lips in a scorching kiss, his arms wound around her waist as he held her close to his chest.

"I love you, Barry."

"I love you, too. I always will," He breathed against her lips. "That's why I'm sorry, but I have to do this."

She was confused for a moment, but her questions were swallowed as he kissed her once more, leaving her breathless and disorientated. The kiss was slow and needy, and it almost felt like a goodbye. She blinked her eyes open and the warmth was gone, and a moment later, a bright white light encapsulated her vision. In an instant, things had changed.

Barry Allen had travelled back to the night his mother had died and this time, he saved her.

Barry Allen had changed the future.

Barry Allen had interfered with the timeline one too many times, and he was just about to discover the grave consequences that came along with it.

* * *

 **A / N –**

 _This moment is actually surreal_. I can't believe that I wrote two stories, both over 260K words! Can you believe it? I can't believe it. I never thought this would ever be possible but here we are. I would like to thank each and every one of you for your follows/faves and more importantly, your reviews! I hope this story was good, I mean, I know that a lot of you enjoy it, but I'm trying to improve my writing over time and I appreciate all of the help you guys give me!

I wonder if we can get this story to 300 reviews seeing as it is the last chapter? There are plenty of you so it shouldn't be hard! It'd mean the world to me. Also, leave me some suggestions for what you would like to see more in the third story! I.e. more action? More romance? More drama? Anything you want to see more of, let me know!

It has been a wonderful journey and I look forward to posting the sequel in a few months when I get some more writing done! I hope to have it up as soon as possible, but at the moment I've given myself a deadline around October, just before S4 of The Flash is released. It depends on my workload, but seeing as though this is my graduating year in university, it's a bit hard, but we'll take it one day at a time. The new story will be named Flashpoint Paradox at this point.

Thank you for all the love and support once again! I look forward to hearing your reviews, theories and suggestions to what should happen in the next instalment. I have a few ideas brewing already and it's going to be good! That's why I didn't leave you with too much to hang on with the end of this chapter. I think the ending few chapters of this story had enough drama, and what with Barry changing the timeline I didn't want to overload you guys, because anything that I would have thrown in would have just been erased regardless because of Flashpoint.

But, I do hope that you all enjoyed this sequel, and I'll definitely be posting a notice on this when the new one comes out! So keep an eye out and don't unfollow this story otherwise you won't be notified when the new one is released! Don't forget to follow me as an author for more email updates etc.

Again so much love to you all. Each and every single one of you have been a positive light in my life.

Til next time!

Heroherondale.

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the hit TV series The Flash, all rights go to the CW, Warner Bros and their respective owners. I also do not own the reference made from Spiderman that belongs to Marvel and their respective owners. I only own my OC and creative genius.**_


	25. Authors Note: Third Story posted!

**Authors Note:**

Dear readers,

Thank you for all the love and support you have given this story and this series.

The first chapter for the third instalment has been posted! The new story is called FLASHPOINT PARADOX. It can be found on my page! Favourite, follow and review and let me know what you think!

Looking forward to seeing you all continue the journey with me and enjoy it just as much as the other series. It will be the last in the Fight or Flight series so join me one last time as we go on a wild ride with Sophia into the unknown!

Til next time.

\- Heroherondale.


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